No Halloween During School Hours This Year, NJ District Says

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — “A district that celebrates diversity.” This is the message that scrolls across the top of the website for the South Orange and Maplewood Public School District. And according to its superintendent, this important mission is the reason that there will be a conspicuous lack of Halloween festivities during school hours for 2023.

Earlier this month, Superintendent Ronald Taylor announced that the district is laying down some rules this Halloween season in a letter to the community. They include:

• “We will not have any Halloween-themed events at any South Orange and Maplewood Public School District (SOMSD) schools during school hours”
• “No costumes will be worn during school hours at our SOMSD schools”

The Halloween debate is something that resurfaces every year in the district. And that’s why it’s important to lay out a consistent approach that is “respectful and inclusive of all families,” Taylor said.

According to Taylor, there are three big questions that district administrators asked themselves before rolling out this year’s new policy on Halloween:

• “Is promoting school-sponsored Halloween activities creating indirect and unintentional financial hardships for students and families?”
• “Do school-sponsored Halloween activities violate the dignity of some of our students and families, either culturally or religiously?”
• “Does the promotion of school-sponsored Halloween activities create tensions with the equity and access values of SOMSD?”

Under the district’s new policy, schools can partner with PTAs, HSAs or other outside groups if they want to put together Halloween-themed events after school hours, Taylor wrote.

Taylor added that administrators generally try to give the leaders of each school creative freedom to run their buildings as they want – “within our expectations.” And there may be a fall harvest festival that can take the place of Halloween, he said.

“After discussing this important topic with them, we anticipate that all SOMSD elementary schools will eventually have a Fall/Harvest Festival event or themed activities that can occur during school time and can be held on Oct. 31,” the superintendent wrote. “We ask for grace as some schools have already begun working toward this, while others are in the planning phase for a 2024 Fall/Harvest Festival.”

“I know this may make some uncomfortable and elicit some challenges across our community,” Taylor concluded. “However, in the end, I feel these recommendations align with SOMSD’s commitment to building equity, fostering inclusion, and building a sense of belonging throughout our schools.”

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