Callers on Maplewood school nixing Halloween: Let kids be kids

Halloween is another holiday under attack. The question is, which side of the battle are you on?

Seth Boyden Elementary School in Maplewood is among New Jersey schools cutting back on their Halloween celebrations, or doing away with them altogether, for the sake of not offending anyone. According to VillageGreenNJ.com, a letter sent home by Principal Mark Quiles and two co-presidents of the PTA said that last year 120 students chose not to participate in the school's Halloween festivities, and others stayed home.

According to Frank Belluscio, the deputy executive director of the New Jersey School Boards Association, the district has to consider accommodating religious groups that may be present in their ranks. But not everyone's pleased with Seth Boyden's decision to no longer recognize the holiday.

When we turned the conversation over to you to ask whether Halloween should be celebrated in schools, there was no shortage of dialogue. 

Eden, a mother of a Seth Boyden student, said the school was honest about their reasoning for doing away with Halloween activities, but she's disappointed that the majority of the school has to deal with accommodations made for the minority of the student body.

Nelson, a 25-year-old in Newark said he went to Seth Boyden and finds it strange that this is an issue because the day is simply supposed to be fun for kids and adults.

Kristin, a 25-year-old in Somerset, said she doesn't celebrate the holiday because she's a Christian, but she doesn't want to encroach on the rights of others to do so.

Joy, a 33-year-old teacher, said she understands why some schools may decide to opt-out of the holiday, because it can be a lot to deal with sugared-up kids, parades and costumes.

"Whatever happened to letting our kids be kids?" said Laura from Hopatcong on the topic.

Bill, a 49-year-old caller from Raritan, said he's fed up with this controversy and wishes things could be how they were when he grew up. He supports the right for kids to go to school in costume.

Miriam, the mother of an elementary student in Flemington, said Halloween parades at school put a lot of pressure on working mothers who might have to take off work to attend, so she understands why some may opt out.

Mike from Hillsborough said he could care less about Halloween, but this dispute is indicative of political correctness that's changing the face of our country for the worse. "Youth of America, start listening- hold on to what you got because we're losing it," he said. Jeff, a 38-year-old from Jackson, agreed with Mike and said the abolition of Halloween celebrations is "another nail in the coffin of American society."

Several callers, including one named Miriam, said this is probably about cultural preservation, but we should simply be respectful of others and not do away with Halloween. AJ on Rt. 295 echoed Miriam, and said that he is Jewish and supports the right to celebrate different holidays.

Melody, who called from the Parkway, said she thinks this all goes to show that as a society we're teaching kids not to stand up for what they believe in, regardless of the holiday in question.

Agree or disagree? Let me know what you think about Halloween in schools by taking the poll below and tweeting @nj1015 and @BillSpadea.

Bill Spadea is host of the Chasing News TV program. He periodically fills in for NJ 101.5 show hosts, and you can daily hear his opinion about all things New Jersey here, or by tweeting @BillSpadea.