Halloween

[doctorwho]

Now I know we had discussions on this but after searching maybe they were part of another thread --

btw - I really like this headline by Britt - clever

Do ghouls belong in schools?
District 204 board member proposes Halloween policy revision

March 14, 2007
By BRITT CARSON Staff Writer
Parents in Indian Prairie School District 204 want Halloween celebrations back in the schools, school board member Mark Metzger says.

On Monday, Metzger proposed a change in the wording of a current district policy that he hopes will help discussion when it comes to holiday celebrations. The current district policy lets each building principal make a decision on how to celebrate holidays, either with classroom parties or alternative activities after school.

Metzger proposed changing the wording so instead of principals "consulting" with their staff and Parent Teacher Associations, they should "collaborate with the building faculty, the PTA executive board and the parents or guardians of the building's students to develop parties, events and suitable alternative activities for students whose parents request that they do not participate in the room party of school event."


» Click to enlarge image

Cowlishaw Elementary School students, their siblings, and parents pose for a group picture in front of the school during a Halloween parade, which replaced the school's banned Halloween celebration.
Sun file

IF YOU GO
What: Indian Prairie School District 204 board of education meeting

When: 7:30 p.m. April 23

Where: District Education Center, 780 Shoreline Drive, Aurora.

Why: The school board will discuss a change in the wording of a policy that affects holiday celebrations in the schools.
"The board's intention, I believe, was to permit each building the flexibility to have celebrations appropriate to the local learning community and ensure that the parents' voice would be taken in account," Metzger said. "The wording we selected failed to accomplish that purpose."
Metzger said the change was a direct result from Halloween 2006, when Cowlishaw announced it was no longer celebrating Halloween during the school day, instead having a fall festival party. Several other schools in District 204 already weren't celebrating Halloween - instead their PTAs helped organize a party or parade on an evening close to Halloween.

"We said last fall we would look into this after the superintendent search," Metzger said.

Parents from several elementary schools voiced concerns to board members calling Halloween a childhood rite of passage.

The change was adopted by the school board as a first reading of the policy. A second discussion will take place at the next school board meeting April 23 and revisions are possible before any final action is taken.

School board president Jeannette Clark wanted a uniform process outlined for collecting information from constituents to avoid the perception of being unfair.

"We need a more uniform process to gather feedback," Clark said. "If we don't my prediction is we will end up having additional problems."

Clark cast the lone dissenting vote against the policy.

Board member Christine Vickers said her children were students at McCarty Elementary School the year Halloween was transformed into fall celebrations without costumes. She welcomed the idea of more input.

Metzger said the wording still keeps the decision in the principal's hands, but would help foster more open communication with the school communities. The wording also enables the principals to revisit the decisions on celebrations more often.

Contact Britt Carson at [e-mail] or 630-416-5269.

[doctorwho]

and the Herald's article -- interesting number I had not seen before -- average of only10 kids per school who do not participate --

Halloween debate resumes at Indian Prairie Dist. 204
By Sara Hooker
Daily Herald Staff Writer
Posted Wednesday, March 14, 2007



Although the next costumed character on the minds of Indian Prairie children is likely the Easter Bunny, board members again will entertain discussion on whether Halloween celebrations in the school district should include costumes.

Members agreed this week to consider a plan to alter the district’s policy manual to say principals must “collaborate” with their PTAs and parents before determining if they want to celebrate Halloween with costumes.

“‘Collaborate,’ among other things, requires working together,” board member Mark Metzger said, whether that be on a Halloween party or an alternative party. “‘Consult’ requires collection of information but requires no action on that information.”

The policy currently states: “Room parties and school events are discretionary activities that are established and approved by the building principal. The building principal will consult with the building faculty and the PTA executive board to develop parties and events.”

Administrators in the district, which includes portions of Naperville, Aurora, Bolingbrook and Plainfield, asked the board last fall to consider creating a districtwide ban on costumes because, among other reasons, they said costumes aren’t sensitive or inclusive to the beliefs of everyone.

Typically about 10 children per school don’t participate on days of costume parties, officials said. District 204 has 21 elementary schools and six middle schools.

This year, a handful of schools including Brooks, Clow, Cowlishaw, Owen and McCarty elementary schools, opted for fall parties minus costumes.

After a large public outcry at the idea of a districtwide costume ban, board members tabled the discussion while they focused on hiring a superintendent to lead the state’s fourth-largest school system.

Metzger rekindled the discussion Monday by proposing an amendment to the policy that neither creates an across- the-board mandate nor tells principals what kind of party to throw.

The emotionally charged topic inspired another go-round among board members as they spent more than 30 minutes talking about Metzger’s plan.

“I think it’s more productive to have a discussion about whether this addresses the issue than just about whether we want to have Halloween or not,” he said. “If people are truly collaborating, then everybody should feel a lot more comfortable.”

But board President Jeannette Clark balked at considering a policy change just yet. She said she’d rather give principals and parents time to work it out rather than rush a decision and have to change the policy again down the road.

“The principals and the community understand that they need to go back to the table and talk this through,” Clark said. “(This policy change is) putting the cart before the horse.”

Member Curt Bradshaw agreed with Metzger’s proposal and said he doesn’t want to create a situation where the board is deciding every aspect of a party down to the treats and party favors.

“We need to eventually take a position where the building principal is responsible for working with and meeting the needs of the owners of that school,” Bradshaw said. “I’m afraid of the board being in those details if we start becoming involved in what it may look like.”

Clark cast the single “no” vote against considering Metzger’s proposal next month.

It passed, and the board again will discuss the topic and hear from the public at its 7:30 p.m. April 23 meeting at the District Education Center, 780 Shoreline Drive, Aurora.

To view the entire policy, visit the district’s Web site at www.ipsd.org.

[EagleDad]

“The principals and the community understand that they need to go back to the table and talk this through,” Clark said.

Jeanette, you don't get it - some principals are not listening to the community. They are just setting butt covering CYA PC policies.

The point is that in some schools the parents haven't been included in this conversation - all the time in the world won't change that. Direction from the board to the principles to talk, and listen is needed.

[204parent]

Why does this need to be handled by each school individually? What a waste of time and resources. The schools are either allowed to have parties, or they're not. The administration needs to get a backbone and make a decision.