Posted on 10/21/2004 10:26:22 AM PDT by DaveTesla
A letter sent home to parents Wednesday said there will
be no observance of Halloween in any of the district's
schools.
"We really want to make sure we're using all of our
time in the best interest of our students," Puyallup
School District spokeswoman Karen Hansen said.
The superintendent made the decision for three primary
reasons, Hansen said. First, Halloween parties and
parades waste valuable classroom time. Second, some
families can't afford costumes and the celebrations
thus can create embarrassment for children.
Both of those reasons seemed sensible to the parents
who spoke to ABC News affiliate KOMO-TV in Seattle. But
the district's third reason left some Puyallup parents
shaking their heads.
A Washington state school district is canceling its
annual Halloween celebration, and the explanation has
some parents baffled.
"Let them have their 30 minutes of dressing goofy and
having candy," Silas Macon, a father of two school-age
girls, said Wednesday outside Maplewood Elementary
School after learning that the grade-school tradition
of a party and parade in costume during the last half-
our of class before Halloween night won't happen this
year in the district.
The district said Halloween celebrations and children
dressed in Halloween costumes might be offensive to
real witches.
"Witches with pointy noses and things like that are not
respective symbols of the Wiccan religion and so we
want to be respectful of that," Hansen said.
"Witches with pointy noses and things like that are not
respective symbols of the Wiccan religion and so we
want to be respectful of that," Hansen said.
Ping
not to mention what it says to pumpkins
Oh brother.
Ping. Unbelievable.
Oh yeah? Well, I say witches are disrespectful to Christianity. How about that?
Halloween is evil because carving a pumpkin makes me want to carve someone's face.
So, does that mean the school won't mind if some "Wiccans" do some animal sacrifices on their lawn?
Oh wait, that's the Haitian voo-doo thing...well hey, that's a religion too isn't it?
How incredibly outrageous. I hope that school official gets creamed.
Now this is just silly.
So the school hierarchy believe in witches? I sure want them teaching my kids...not.
I also think that Halloween is incredibly insensitive to zombies, werewolves, and mummies. We should really be more careful. They have feelings too.
The last two paras in this piece are remarkable.
Gee. Finally. Tolerance for witches. What a concept.
Who are these nuts? Why are they teaching children?
That's a brilliant way to wave the flag of fundamentalist liberalism around right before an election.
I work with someone whose daughter got married in a Wiccan church. I kid you not. We snicker about that and I think the co-worker is also Wiccan. I can't believe that this sort of thing goes on in the conservative midwestern city where I work.
I'm going to have to print this out for the next time some lib mentions some hardcore evangelical church going off on Halloween.
How true. There simply isn't enough time in the school day to demonstrate the proper use of condoms to school children.
Oh for cryin' out freaking loud.
I'm glad I'm 44 years old and won't live to see what a vomitous pit of insanity this nation will be in 100 years.
hysterical laughter
Someone needs to tell Hillary that everything in this world is NOT about HER!
My nephew had a "wiccan' for a history teacher....Public High School
The teach was quite open about it...and neither the school board or the PTO has not raised a stink..
I could see the public schools bending to 'not offend' any minority group or religion
If you feel the need to offend someone well thats why God created Christianity and white males ...doncha know.
LOL!!
If you insist:
But Willow would kick her ass, and I'm still annoyed with WB for cancelling Angel.
She's a witch! Burn her!!! Burn her!!!
OOOOOoooooo I'm so sympathetic. NOT!
LOL.....you know, hundred of districts across the country have stopped the Halloween celebrations, replacing them with Harvest or Fall celebrations ---in part, due to the pressures from Christians and, again in part, due to the Biblical admonition:
1Thessalonians 5:21-22
21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.
But the reasoning of this district just leaves me shaking my head. I presume they were afraid of being sued, by Wiccans?
There isn't a day that goes by that there isn't a story posted on FR to substantiate a very good reason to home school your children...
This comes partly from the liberal teachers loving Harry Potter books. I guess this means the "Wizard of Oz" is on borrowed time.
The Wiccan faith has nothing to do with Halloween costume depictions. That would be like saying we should cancel Easter celebrations because it is disrespectful to barren women to hide eggs.
So if she weighs the same as a duck...
She's a witch!
Mmmm hmmmm. I get it.
Public schools no longer observe Christmas because they need to protect themselves from "evil" Christian religion.
Public schools will no longer observe Halloween because earth-loving pagan religions need to be protected.
Did I pass?
Now stamp my forehead and right hand.
"Witches with pointy noses and things like that are not respective symbols of the Wiccan religion and so we want to be respectful of that," Hansen said."
There is so much to say in response to this sort of inanity -- much of it has already been said by othjer FReepers here.
But let me just say this -- it is manifestly apparent that the "educators" who made this decision have never seen (or read) The Wizard of Oz. If they had, they would know that there are such things as "good witches" and "bad witches"
If some little girls choose to dress up for Halloween as "bad witches", why would the school want to stop them? And why would the school district not want to hurt the feelings of "bad witches"??
"The Wiccan faith has nothing to do with Halloween costume depictions. That would be like saying we should cancel Easter celebrations because it is disrespectful to barren women to hide eggs."
Easter celebrations are disrespectful to birds because they lay eggs. Ducks lay eggs. Ducks float. Witches float. So if a duck and a woman weigh the same, then she's a witch! Burn her!!!
>First, Halloween parties and
parades waste valuable classroom time.<
Why, we can't have these here chirruns having any fun, now, can we? Having fun is a waste of valuable classroom time.
Gee, I thought all the nuts were here in Calif. Were the black cats threatening to sue? (re: 9th circuit crt decision)
Halloween is disrespectful to its Catholic roots -- The Eve of All Hallows, All Saints Day on November 1st.
You Forgot Vampires....and you call yourself politically correct... pfft...
I'm Catholic and I don't see any disrespect at all. My daughter who attends Catholic Schools is going to a Halloween "boo fest" at the school. You might remember that Christmas was once a pagan holiday and that George W Bush was once a drunk.
Things do change...Thank God.
Actually, its originally a Pagan Holiday (Roman's Pomona Day and the Celtic festival of Samhain)..the Church's All Saints Day came after - to try to wipe the Pagan aspect out. It has nothing to do with Satan/devil...that aspect is pure 20th Century Hollywood nonsense.
LOL!
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