Should Halloween be Banned In Schools?

Halloween is an exciting time for many children across the world. The excitement over planning costumes, getting together with friends and heading out for a night of trick or treating is one of the greatest thrills of childhood. Most years, Halloween falls on a school day, so children have to spend the day in the classroom before the fun begins. Many schools incorporate their excitement into a fun day of learning and activities. Some schools, however, have gone so far as to ban the holiday! Read on and tell us what you think!

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Early October my daughter starts planning for Halloween: what she wants to wear, the number of pumpkins she wants to carve and decorate, the decorations she wants to put in front of the house and most importantly the costume she will wear during Halloween day at school! It’s a whole month of planning, imagination and laughter for her and for all the family members!

For safety reason, she is not allowed to wear masks at school nor so long a costume that kids stumble and fall! over it.  I find those safety measures important and I make sure that her costume follows those guidelines! After all it is a fun day and I don’t want it to be missed because of a lack of planning!

Banning Halloween in Schools: Yay or Nay?

Since it is Halloween week, the TV, radio and online media are  emphasizing the safety measures and requirements so kids can have a fabulous evening. One TV show  showcased a school where Halloween was not celebrated! It was replaced by a spirit day: I think an orange day where kids are allowed to wear orange and black but no costume! The school was trying to accommodate people with low income budget and coming from different religious backgrounds. Some religions do not celebrate this holiday!

I was a bit startled! I understand that some parents are on tight budget and some do not celebrate Halloween! But do you think that every child that celebrates Halloween cares about that? Do you think that every child who sees another friend wearing a costume understands that? Don’t you think it can create frustration among them! A Halloween costume does not have to be expensive! For my son I used to give him my husband’s shirt and jacket! I added a hat that I bought from Dollar store and you have a beautiful creative costume on a tight budget. Kids do not care about how expensive the costume is at this age, they want to have fun with their mates and be kids! Most kids also aren’t thinking of any religious aspect of the holiday. To them, it’s about dressing up and enjoying a day of creative play…and candy of course!

Can we just let kids be kids and stop forcing adult thinking into their lives for just one day a year? What do you think?

 

35 thoughts on “Should Halloween be Banned In Schools?”

  1. I did Halloween when I was a kid and admit it was fun, even as a teenager and then adult, because of costumes and parties. DIY most of them, that made it even more fun. Also there’s plenty second hand options, I really don’t think budget is an issue, and I’m a very frugal person. But when I started to study the Bible alongside history, realized it isn’t only Halloween that is Pagan (aka against Christianity) but so is Christmas! Now I don’t have my kid participate in any of it, and during story time she gets to go draw at her desk. I’m waiting for the day they take religion out of public schools altogether and understand that everyone doesn’t believe the same thing. And the “religion is removed, it’s just pumpkins and Santa”… no.. ask Google “what is the birthday of the sun god” and find out for yourself. My point is celebrating the day, however it is done, is still sun god worship. I dont even acknowledge these holidays whatsoever.

  2. Halloween should be banned in schools because the origins are deceitful. Keep saying “let kids be kids” well kids shouldn’t be messing with a holiday they know nothing about. You guys only go over the surface instead of deep into where it came from. Don’t let your kids celebrate something they aren’t even conscious about.

  3. Kids need more holiday fun. Merge Halloween within a harvest festival too. It’s about celebrating a change in season. It’s educational because it’s creative and artistic. I’m tired of the US school system focusing on grades and tests 24/7. We need more fun, more holidays, better playgrounds. Add other diverse holiday celebrations in the year. Hire more diverse staff. Don’t be lazy by taking things away, in the guise of “not inclusive” – use it as a teachable moment. Improve it. But let there be fun!

  4. Absolutely No Halloween In Schools Period!!!! School Is For Learning And That’s Much More Important Than Fun Stuff. Besides America Has A Huge Childhood Obesity Problem And We Still Have Covid-19 So I Say Scrap Halloween And Make It A Regular Learning Day With A Dress Code Instead!!!!! If You Want To Do Halloween Do It At Home!!!!!

    1. Mr. Common Sense

      When you didn’t celebrate anything in school, did they take that extra time to remind the students to not capitalize each and ever word in a sentence and to only to use one punctuation mark at the end?

    2. Oh, as for COVID, this is not 2020. The variants of COVID are not exactly the type that went around in 2020. There are a couple pills that treat COVID, and there are COVID shots; many people say those don’t work as they were claimed to do. You do NOT HAVE to get a COVID shot, and if a kid gets sick they can stay home and isolate as per the old COVID protocols. You also have a right to let your kids wear masks, not the Halloween kinds but I’m talking about N-95, KN-95, KF-94. They are not required in most schools anymore, but yes, your kid CAN still wear a mask. That is THEIR choice now. We can’t just stop Halloween because of COVID. The other issues you cite for banning halloween, they can be managed without resorting to a ban on the holiday. A minority of kids may have different religions but the minority should NOT dictate how the MAJORITY feels about the Halloween celebrations.

  5. Halloween Has No Place In School It’s A Place For Learning And Not For Halloween And So Called Spirit Days!!!!! How About Having A Learning Day With A Dress Code Instead????

    1. So, I guess you want to be a party pooper when it comes to Halloween. Well, I understand your point and your reasoning. High schools such as mine didn’t have it back in my day; and I am sure they still don’t. There’s a reason for that. They are geared to intense learning. Now, in younger grades, I think you could still have your treat and eat it, too. If it’s just oNE day a year, I have a solution to the obesity problem. My solution is they could offer doughnuts and cider, or big apple fritters. However, there would be a catch. Kids would need to pay a quarter to have ONE apple fritter or a doughnut. Cider would come with it. The doughnuts, if they are the big doughnuts, and the big apple fritters, should tide you over through lunch period. You would have only ONE fritter and cider or ONE doughnut. A doughnut or a fritter is not gonna kill you ONE day a year. Then, you could still have all the learning you want. No, a Learning Day is not gonna cut it with kids, under YOUR thinking. As for a dress code, they can have it the other days of the year. Costumes should be allowed in grades K-8. I think this would be a good compromise!!

  6. My mom use to make all our costumes when we were kids , and if other religions don’t like Halloween then they can keep their kids home.

  7. I always had Halloween in school, we even had a Halloween night, where the entire school was filled with games, cake walks, outdoor hayrides, and so on, and it was after hours once school was let out, but we did get to dress up during the day and wear are costumes if we wanted to. I say let the kids be kids have fun.

  8. Our school celebrates Halloween and it is something that the kids AND the teachers look forward to. And our Principal loves it to. It is a great break from all the hard work they have been doing for weeks and just after some pretty big state tests so it is a great chance to let loose and just have some fun. But not only that, I think schools that ban Halloween are going too far. It’s catering to the minority instead of the majority and that is where a lot of freedoms being trampled on is stemming from…being so concerned with being Politically correct and caring much more about the minority than the majority. I’m not saying the majority is more important, but that the minority shouldn’t be held in higher regard than the majority.

      1. Yes. A ban is too much in elementary or junior high schools. Now, in the high school I went to, we did not have Halloween parties or dressing up. It was all learning; but I understand why high schools like mine didn’t have Halloween. High schools were geared for very intense learning in my time, and still are. By the time you reach high school, you’re on your way to being an adult. High school prepares you for college. So, they expect a lot of hard work, and that includes Halloween. In younger grade levels, kids should be kids. The like Halloween parties in schools. Plus the Halloween treats. So, for kids, it should be a fun day!!

  9. Our school does a variety of other dress up days but doesn’t celebrate Halloween specifically – I am okay with that because it means that I don’t have to try and launder and repair costumes between school l and trick or treating… the school manages to incorporate learning into their ‘spirit’ days – the last one was dress as your favorite book character (and bring that book to share) – the dress up is there without the ‘Halloween’ connotation that some people prefer to avoid.

  10. We don’t celebrate Halloween as my religion doesn’t allow it. But I do remember in elementary school we’d have a celebration all day with educational activities, but students were allowed to dress up in costumes and some students, like me, couldn’t participate. Things haven’t changed so much as my niece will be having a Halloween celebration tomorrow, but since she won’t be in a costume, she is bringing halloween themed desserts. I think Halloween is becoming part of the American tradition so I like to have fun with my son and dress him up in whatever he wants to be and we celebrate at home with his cousins and have a little party, but we do not go trick-or-treating. I think the school traditions are fun, but like I said some students tend to be left out, so it’s a toss up.

  11. So our family does not celebrate Halloween but dottie’s school does have costumes,a costume parade and activities for the day., I’m not against that but I personally feel a lot of importance is given to Halloween over Christmas where I don’t really get it. (Just my 2 cents :>)

  12. One of my kids allows Halloween and is even having a school wide parade tomorrow! The other does not allow kids to come in costume nor do they celebrate Halloween at all.

    I think we do need to let kids be kids. :)

  13. As a former teacher, I can tell you this much – it’s not only for the reasons they’ve stated that they want just orange and black spirit days. Many teachers despise Halloween – kids are fussing with their costumes instead of paying attention, they lose pieces to their costumes and there’s tears, etc etc. Personally, I think a day to let kids be kids is worth any of the problems that may crop up in the classroom. In my classes, we usually started the day with Mass (I taught in a Catholic school and we wanted to be sure to focus on All Souls and All Saints as well) and then the kids would put on their costumes. We’d play games and have fun for the rest of the morning and then the afternoon would be a school dance (with movies being shown in another room for kids who didn’t want to go to the dance). It’s ONE day, it lets them see that their teachers care about them, and it provides a much needed break from the past two months of working hard!

    1. I completely agree with Cyn. I mean, I wasn’t a teacher, so I can’t really speak for the first part. But I think the frustrations would be worth it for the payout of fun! When I was a kid, we had these grand Halloween parades followed by a spooky movie in the auditorium. Not too spooky, of course! I fondly remember those days! My son’s school usually does some crafts and activities for Halloween, but they don’t actually say it’s about Halloween. I suppose I can live with that. What stinks, though, is when schools completely ignore the day. Yes, there are dozens of holidays out there, but Halloween has always kind of been a universal day of fun for kids. It’s not really about one religion or one culture. It’s about the fun!

  14. I must say, I completely agree. I feel like things are going WAY overboard now a days. We’re over thinking TOO much and we should really let kids be kids. Where is the FUN? Growing up, some of my best memories came from Christmas and Halloween fun…at school! I think things are being taken too seriously and it’s ruining it for the kids. They’re trying to make everything “politically” correct too much, and although that’s important to a degree, we also have to remember that many of the things are meant to be FUN and you can’t please everyone, either way. Too many traditions are being altered lately I think in schools.

    1. I agree with you! Although I respect that some people do not celebrate or cannot! There is no reason to ban it from school for the others! After all kids can choose to celebrate or not!

  15. I don’t see why schools need to place any importance on any holidays. There are simply too many and they create too many opportunities for conflict and inequality. They don’t serve any purpose in schools. There is plenty of time available outside of school for celebrating special days.

    1. I agree there are many holidays! It is just one day of fun and creativity for kids! It may not serve an educational purpose but it will make them happy and will help them with creativity!

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