From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Charles
Sent: Wednesday, October 29, 2003 7:46 AM
To: 'The Sandbox Discussion List'
Subject: [Sndbox] Trying new tricks to make day a treat
|
Trying new tricks to make day a treat
Clifton Park-- Schools' Halloween policies aimed at
securing safety, but parents object to bans |
| By
DENNIS
YUSKO, Staff writer First published: Tuesday, October 28, 2003 |
| Kindergartner Madelyn Littman, 5, will
celebrate her first Halloween in school without her parents.
Under new security guidelines outlined by principals and teachers, parents will be barred from entering three of the Shenendehowa Central School District's seven elementary schools on Halloween, which falls on Friday. "At Halloween, there are just too many people to maintain the security of the building," wrote Okte Elementary School Principal Deborah Price in a recent letter to parents. The Halloween policies at Shenendehowa and other schools reflect a growing trend among educators in the Capital Region: School districts, citing safety concerns, are exerting more control over their facilities, sometimes at the expense of parental involvement. The new Shenendehowa rules, which were made on a school-by-school basis, prohibit parents from attending Halloween parties inside Okte, Tesago and Karigon elementary schools, and impose stricter rules on access to other schools. This year's popular Halloween parade at Okte was moved indoors, meaning Madelyn Littman will march as Cleopatra without her parents, Paul and Rainy Littman of Ferry Drive, there to watch. "I think it's divisive," said Paul Littman. "Education is a three-legged stool between parents, teachers and administrators, and when one side seeks to exclude another side, it destabilizes the platform and has a negative effect on the educational process." Celebrating Halloween, like birthdays, is a social concern, not an educational one, said Shenendehowa spokeswoman Kelly Defeciani. Last year, the Bethlehem Central School District eliminated its official Halloween parties and parades, and banned costumes from classrooms. "It helps with the continuity of instruction, and more importantly, it had to do with safety concerns," said Jessica Scheckton, Bethlehem spokeswoman. "With a lot of parents and people coming in in costumes, there was no way to tell who was coming in and out. They are unidentified and unrecognizable." Other districts require students to wear nonviolent costumes. Schenectady schools outlaw grotesque and bloody costumes under a policy that has been in place for years, spokesman Jim Ormsbee said. The district instead encourages students to dress up like characters from their favorite books and to walk in a parade. "Character Day is a way to allow kids to dress up and have fun in a way that leads to learning," Ormsbee said. Schenectady students are not allowed to bring toy weapons into school. If officials deem a costume inappropriate, parents are called to bring a change of clothes. Halloween celebrations are so popular at Shenendehowa -- the Capital Region's second largest school district -- that it must establish special traffic and parking rules each year. Traditionally, the elementary schools hold outdoor parades, complete with masks, capes, makeup and hundreds of parents, who bring in food and party favors. "It's very important to kids, especially to the kindergartners and first-graders," said Tammy Kulzer, the mother of a first-grader and a fifth-grader in the district. "They're just being very unfair with the kids." Individual principals at Shenendehowa outlined their own Halloween policies. Price, the principal at Okte, ruled that safety issues were too numerous to continue inviting parents, Defeciani said. Price could not be reached for comment. Okte, with 561 students, moved its parade indoors. Parents must drop off food for the Halloween party on a lobby table and, for the first time, students must avoid costumes with blood, guts or weapons, Price ruled. Parental involvement in schools became an issue in Mechanicville and Albany shortly after the current school year began. The Mechanicville Board of Education banned parent volunteers from classrooms, citing security concerns and volunteers' lack of teacher certification. Nearly 400 parents signed a petition in protest, and the board reinstated parent access under stricter rules. In the Albany School District, Superintendent Michael Johnson curtailed birthday parties, banned homemade snacks for safety and health reasons, and restricted the celebrations to snack or lunch periods. The Littman family said they respectfully disagreed with Shenendehowa's new rules, primarily because they weren't uniformly enforced by the district. "It's really their first party of the year, and Madelyn's first party of all school," said Rainy Littman. Staff writer Rhea Davis contributed to this story. |
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