Posted on 10/28/2005 11:41:08 AM PDT by NavVet
NEWTON -- When students at Underwood Elementary School walk to their classrooms on Monday, there will be no witches, SpongeBob SquarePants, or Johnny Damons there to greet them.
No skeleton paintings or Frankenstein tattoos, either.
The school's principal said yesterday he acceded to the complaints of a handful of parents who said that because the school's traditional Halloween celebrations offended their religious beliefs, they would not send their children to school if the revelry continued this year.
''Not everyone is going to agree with the decision, and I really understand that," said principal David Castelline, , who last year grew a beard and dressed up as Johnny Damon. ''But I felt the goal was really important to make it a respectful and open and welcoming place for all members of our community."
Castelline, who met yesterday with the Parent Teacher Organization to explain his decision, said three teachers told him they had children in their classes who were not going to come to school if the Halloween celebration was held. The celebration, which has been going on for at least 14 years, involves teachers dressing up and lining the hallways and children making Halloween-related arts and crafts.
''When I hear that kids won't come to school because of what we're doing on Halloween, I have a problem with that," Castelline said.
Of nearly a dozen parents interviewed outside the school yesterday, none supported the decision to cancel the celebration. Several parents said they are considering staging a protest by donning costumes on Monday and standing in front of the school.
(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...
I'll have to search that one out in my Bible.
I hope the kids can just put some egg on their faces and come as ABC news sources who said Karl Rove was going to be indicted for outing Valerie Plame.... ho ho ho.
bump
It's one thing for some hyper-minority religion like Wicca, or whoever it is that's being offended, to grouse at adults for having Nativity scenes and the like, but how can they ruin other children's fun on what has become a completely secular holiday to most people? They can keep their kids home, or go chant in the forest after school, or whatever. The kids don't understand their parents' radical lefty religious and political beliefs; they just get picked on as the kids whose parents "cancelled Halloween".
It's a festivus miracle!
It's gone from the thread....
all are safe.
"It's gone from the thread....
all are safe."
The article only mentions parents "religious beliefs" but doesn't say what religion they are in. Since I am a betting man I would wager it wasn't wiccan parents, but christian parents.
NJ also:
Hammonton Schools Cancel Halloween
Pre-K Through First Grade Can No Longer Wear Costumes To School
POSTED: 12:09 pm EDT October 21, 2005
UPDATED: 12:29 pm EDT October 21, 2005
HAMMONTON, N.J. -- There is a costume controversy at a South Jersey school.
Officials have canceled the annual Halloween parade and will not allow costumes. Now, parents are asking the school board to step in and bring back a hallowed tradition.
The Hamilton School district has done away with Halloween costumes and parades in some of the elementary schools, and now they're trying it in pre-K through first grade.
"It's pretty upsetting. The kids really enjoy that," one woman told the school board.
"Sad because they took it away," said one boy.
"I really want them to do it," said another boy.
The district decided to do away with scary outfits and the traditional procession because they were worried about too many unidentified family members descending on the school.
"It became hazardous to the safety of the children that we couldn't keep control and know exactly every child that was being taken off the site," said Mary Lou DiFrancisco Hammonton School District superintendent.
"They're celebrating Halloween. Let them be kids," said one mother.
When the parents found out, some showed up at the school district meeting with their children in costume.
"Last year I had it and this year I don't and that's not fair, is it?" said Liam Hunter, who came to the meeting in costume.
"It just doesn't make a lot of sense. There's a lot of disappointed people," a man testified before the school board.
The school district said that it is creating black and orange day, instead, for pre-K through first-graders, but many parents believe the school is erasing Halloween because of alleged satanic undertones.
"Nothing could be farther from the truth," said Loretta Rehmann, the Hammonton School Board president. "What they saw last year is that it is a safety issue."
In the end, the school board said it is the superintendent's decision and the board said it would not overturn that decision.
Public Schools
Your profile also says that you're an atheist.Assuming that you're that rarest of breeds...a "live and let live" atheist....let me assure you that the "progressives" in Newton (atheist,"Reform" Jew,Unitarian/Universalist and others)are *not* the "live and let live" kind.
You'll just have to trust me on that one.
Ya know, you could be right, but the only religious groups I've ever heard of that protest Halloween are Christian in nature.
Virtually all holidays have pagan roots, yes, even Christian holidays.
Part of it is the moronic, sensationalization of EVERYTHING by the lunes in the media. And the need for each and every "minority" to throw their weight around by oppressing the majority for the power rush.
This garbage has to stop.
Public School administrators offend my intelligence!
That's it. Just wait for your name to be called on during The Airing of Grievances.
And now...... The Feats of Strength!
LMAO!!
So let them stay home.
They can't, they'll lose money.
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