Milford, Conn. Schools Reinstate Halloween Costume Parades After Parents Complain
MILFORD, Conn. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- The school system in Milford, Connecticut announced Monday that it had reversed its cancellation of the annual Halloween costume parades at the city's elementary schools.
The move followed an outcry from parents.
The district had canceled activities, saying it originally wanted to move the celebration to the evening so more parents could attend, according to a letter from Supt. Elizabeth Feser.
Feser said in the letter that the goal had been a celebration that would be inclusive of all children, including those who might not take part in the parade for religious or cultural reasons.
"The thinking behind this decision was that a family event in the early evening would enable all who wanted to be a part of a Halloween celebration to do so," Feser wrote. "Meanwhile, children who for religious or cultural reasons would not take part, could easily, and without stigmatization, not attend the event."
But Feser wrote in the letter that the controversy over the parade was becoming a distraction, and took some parents to task for accusing the district of trying to "ban" Halloween.
"We have been accused of being un-American, of denying children participation in an American tradition, and that we should be ashamed," Feser wrote. "We struggle to understand why we should be ashamed about the Halloween celebration that each school/PTA is sponsoring, wherein children are encouraged to wear costumes, will be given candy, will spend an hour or more in fun and games."
Feser said the district believes the planned evening event that was to replace the parades would be "far more reflective of the values of the American culture in that 'family' and 'children' are being celebrated through a Halloween gathering."
While the parades will continue on Friday, Oct. 30 "in an effort to move forward," Feser wrote that she was not pleased with the parents who made a big deal of the issue.
"There are those who feel a 20 minute parade is more important, however, and its elimination is contributing to the demise of Milford as a city and Milford as a community, as well as the demise of the Milford Public Schools," Feser said in the letter. "Those of you who have children in our elementary schools know how untrue these accusations are."
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