It looks like one elementary school located in Evanston, Illinois has canceled their Halloween celebrations this year in fear that there’d be a lack of inclusiveness. Michelle Cooney, Lincoln Elementary School principal made a statement regarding the decision for the Chicago Tribute.
According to Cooney,
“While we recognize that Halloween is a fun tradition for many families, it is not a holiday that is celebrated by all members of our school community and for various reasons,” she said.
“There are also inequities in how we have traditionally observed the holiday as part of our school day. Our goal at Lincoln is to provide space and opportunities for all students to be part of the community — not to create an environment that may feel exclusive or unwelcoming to any child,” Cooney added.
The lack of holiday festivities include no Halloween parties on October 31 throughout the school day, and students will not be allowed costumes or candy during the holiday. However, students will be given a “fall celebration” when November 1 comes around the next day.
As one can tell, many students and parents were disappointed in the idea. And I’m sure people not even involved with the school will be irritated to know that Halloween was essentially canceled for one unfortunate school in Illinois.
Personally, it does seem like a rather brash decision. If you want to make students feel included, you shouldn’t have them going into one of the only schools without any sort of Halloween celebrations when the rest of the country or world is. Now that to me, sounds like the actual problems that come with such an idea.
How do you feel about the Halloween festivities being called for Lincoln Elementary School? Do you agree with the decisions? Let us know in the comments section down below!
Source: Chicago Tribune