Nixing Halloween parade in Lower Merion causes big stir among parents who ask, ‘What’s next?’

The Lower Merion School District has nixed the Halloween parade at its six elementary schools, citing inclusion and safety concerns, a move that some parents say has snatched the joy out of a festive day for hundreds of children.

“We’re nervous that this is kind of like a gateway to what’s next,” said Christina Nicolosi, a mother of four with two children at Merion Elementary. “What’s the next thing that we’re going to be taking away from the kids? Is Valentine’s Day on the chopping block next?”

“Halloween is almost in the same category as Thanksgiving. It’s a secular holiday,” she said. “And I just feel like we’re stripping the joy from elementary school and it’s kind of sad.”

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“I think it’s so absurd because Halloween, in my mind, is the most inclusive holiday because it’s the one day that kids get to dress up in anything, any way they want to express themselves,” said Linda Joseph, a mother of three with two children at Penn Valley Elementary.

“It’s one of these things that’s gone way too far. And I don’t know where it’s going to end with this weirdness,” she said. “The idea that it is somehow offensive to anybody is beyond me. I just can’t even wrap my head around it.”

But Lower Merion officials argued that they had good reason.

“Security was a big concern,” said Amy Buckman, director of Lower Merion’s school and community relations.

Although adults are screened when entering schools, that can’t happen outside. “Just the thought of having an entire school population of young children in a field surrounded by adults that we couldn’t possibly screen was worrisome,” Buckman said.

Lack of inclusivity was another factor, she said. “Our district prides itself on providing a sense of belonging to every student. And we have numerous students who for religious or cultural reasons do not celebrate Halloween.”

Some families choose to keep their children home that day, she said. “Other kids would just be sitting in the library ... and that does not help create a sense of belonging for children,” Buckman said.

Furthermore, work obligations prevented some parents from attending the morning parade, disappointing their children. “There are some families for whom that’s really a hardship. They don’t have the type of jobs or they don’t have the privilege of staying at home where you can just take a morning off without having a serious economic impact on your family,” Buckman said.

It’s not that students will have to bag Halloween pageantry. “Students who wish to come to school in costumes are invited to do so,” according to a letter emailed to parents last Friday. “Students are also invited to dress in a way that reflects something unique about them, their interests, culture or personality.”

Schools will celebrate what principals pegged as “harvest and fall related activities.” “It will be a fun day for the kids. It’s just not going to be a Halloween parade with parents and guardians,” Buckman said.

But some parents said the district is missing an opportunity to educate children, without making them feel left out.

“There are many different religions, cultures and views that exist within our district and we should be finding a way to celebrate them or to at least explain them and talk about them so that everyone can feel included,” said Dominique Izbicki, whose eldest child is 7 and a second grader at Merion Elementary.

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“There’s lots of things that go on in the world that may not be my kids’ religion or view but I actually still want them exposed,” she said. “If we try to never do anything in the schools, but what every single person is, it feels like we’re not going to be educating our kids to the fact that there are multiple cultures and religions,” Izbicki said.

“We seem to be taking the view of inclusivity as going down to the least common denominator, rather than trying to celebrate all cultures, all religions, all views for our kids,” she said.

“We’ve done other celebrations in the past, like Chinese New Year or Diwali. And certainly not every kid aligns with those,” she added.

“We’re very lucky to live in such a diverse area. Let’s embrace that.”

“If we’re talking diversity, equity and inclusion, we should be including more, not cutting back,” Nicolosi said. “I feel like they’re missing a teachable moment to say, ‘Johnny might be a Jehovah’s Witness and maybe he doesn’t celebrate for these reasons.’ And maybe it would teach kids to be a little bit more sensitive and tolerant to their peers that way.”

As for the district’s security argument, some parents don’t buy it.

“If this is a concern, why do we have football games every weekend open to the public when we don’t screen people coming in?” Nicolosi asked. “What is the difference between a parade and a football game?”

“Elementary school kids always seem to bear the brunt of all of these restrictions and changes in culture and mindset, whereas the older kids seem to be able to kind of get away with it,” she said.

Buckman said the district has received a “handful” of emails from parents who object to the decision. “But generally the reaction has been understanding and supportive,” she said. “When you make a change, it’s very likely that you’re going to have a handful of people who disagree with the change.”

School principals explained the rationale to the home school associations’ leadership and the response was, “We get it,” she said.

Some parents said the district should have announced the decision earlier. Instead, they said the parade was taken off the calendar a few weeks ago without an explanation, until school principals sent out an email Friday.

“Why are you waiting a week or two weeks before Halloween to drop this on parents?” Nicolosi asked.

By avoiding the word Halloween, it’s almost as if district officials are pretending it doesn’t exist, she said.

“These kids are young, but they’re not dumb,” she said. “They’re still going to think it’s Halloween and they’re gonna pick up on something like, ‘What’s going on? Why are we dressing up and doing stuff but we’re not allowed to talk about Halloween?’”

“They’re making it all about fall, pumpkins and harvest,” Joseph said.

“But at some point, pumpkins are probably going to offend somebody.”