Costumes No Longer Part Of Arlington Colonial Day

ARLINGTON, MA – Arlington Public Schools will re-examine how it approaches Colonial Day, including possibly changing the name of the annual third grade tradition, according to Assistant Superintendent Roderick MacNeal, Jr. In a letter to the school community Wednesday, MacNeal also said costumes will no longer be a part of the event.

Colonial Day drew controversy last year after some parents pushed back against the district's initial decision to eliminate the dress-up portion, leading administrators to make costumes optional. In previous years, students have dressed as colonists or Native Americans and participated in period-specific activities like butter churning, tin punching and candle-making, according to the New Boston Post.

But the dress-up aspect is "problematic" to the district's goal of having an environment for students to feel "honored and welcomed," MacNeal wrote Wednesday.

"In addition, dressing up as colonists emphasizes a single perspective that was not shared by all of the cultures that were present during this time in history, which includes Native American culture," according to the letter.

The district's third grade teachers will work this summer to update the colonial curriculum to be "comprehensive and representative of all cultures." They will also look into revisions to Colonial Day, which could include choosing a different name and planning new activities.

"Our overall goal is to ensure all cultures are considered as we teach our students about important historical events and facts," MacNeal wrote.

MacNeal told Patch the decision to prohibit costumes came after meetings with third grade teachers and representatives from the school councils, who were asked to gather feedback from the school communities. He said since the letter was sent out Wednesday morning, he has received some responses from parents, the majority of which have been supportive while a couple had concerns about the decisions being made.

"We're looking at the way we're instructing and addressing various historical events and making sure there's no perspective that's omitted and that we're not overemphasizing a single perspective," MacNeal said.

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