BURLINGTON, Vt. (WSVN) — A school district in Vermont has cancelled Halloween celebrations in the classroom, saying celebrations should be more inclusive.
According to WJHG, the Burlington School District came to the conclusion after an email from a parent.
“It’s not that we are teaching that Halloween is a bad thing,” Miriam Ehtesham-Cating of the Burlington School District told WCAX. “We’re reflecting on our practices that we believe every celebration held in school should be fully inclusive.”
No costumes, capes or candy will be allowed in the classroom this year and school officials said some students don’t participate in the events because their families don’t celebrate the holiday. They also said some of the traditions can make students feel uncomfortable.
“For example, many people are made uncomfortable by the notion that you change your identity, you turn into someone else and those somebody else’s could represent cultural appropriations,” Ehtesham-Cating told WCAX.
Parents and members of the community voiced both support and opposition for the decision, WCAX reports.
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