An elementary school in Walpole, Massachusetts, has canceled its annual Halloween parade, leading hundreds of residents to sign an online petition to save the tradition.
Instead of wearing costumes to class, students at Elm Street School will celebrate with a black-and-orange spirit day on Friday. Parents say the decision was made with little warning, leaving them without enough time to plan an alternative after-school event.
“The principal sent out a note in one of her newsletters saying costumes are not allowed,” parent Liz Campbell told CBS News. “But the actual parade being canceled was word of mouth through the children.”
Among those affected is six-year-old Charlie, who was eager to show off his Super Mario costume to his teachers and classmates.
Frustrated families quickly launched an online petition on Monday to preserve the parade, gathering nearly 400 signatures from current and past Walpole parents.
Older students in the district also expressed sadness over the shift.
“The kindergarteners now don’t get to experience what we got to,” said a student named Ryann, who is now in middle school. “It’s kind of sad because it was one of the best things about Halloween at school.”
Middle schooler Avery shared similar memories of the annual tradition.
“We’d just see everyone we knew going by in their cute costumes, and we’d all be able to just put our hands out and high-five them, and it’d just be the best moment ever,” she told CBS News.
This is not the first time a Walpole school has eliminated its Halloween procession. Nearly a decade ago, the town’s Boyden School did the same, replacing its parade with a black-and-orange spirit day. Following that decision, local parent committees stepped in to organize alternative festivities, such as trunk-or-treat events, so children could still wear their costumes.
As Elm Street School students prepare their black-and-orange outfits for Friday’s spirit day, parents say trick-or-treating will continue as usual on Saturday.
However, many feel the loss of the school event cuts short a cherished childhood milestone and favored memory.
“There are only so many years where they want to put the costumes on and they want to celebrate and the magic that goes along with it is, it's fleeting,” Campbell said. “So, to have that experience is just wonderful.”
From what I can find, the previous school to do this did so because of inclusivity and security. The parade was deemed "not inclusive of all the students" and "difficult for many students" due to differing beliefs or backgrounds. Concerns were also raised that the event, which was open to parents and visitors, left children vulnerable.