NEWINGTON --The Newington Board of Education held a special meeting Wednesday evening after a firestorm this week regarding Halloween.
The meeting comes days after Superintendent William Collins said there was a big misunderstanding about some changes a couple of schools made this year for Halloween. Last week word got out through social media that Anna Reynolds and Ruth Chaffee schools were "canceling" Halloween.
However, Collins said that was not the case. What has been called off is an annual costume parade at Anna Reynolds Elementary School.
The clarification follows days of fierce, and sometimes, threatening comments, that came in the wake of the principal's decision to not hold the parade this year. As word spread through social media and traditional outlets, Collins says people began to think Halloween celebrations were outright banned, which he says was not the case.
"Some students didn't have costumes, some students had inappropriate costumes, it took and hour to take the costumes on and off, and they just thought there was a better use of time to do other fun stuff," said Collins.
Additionally, the annual costume parade at Ruth Chaffee Elementary turned into a "storybook character parade" in which children could dress up as a character from their favorite books.
"In no way shape or form is Halloween banned from schools," said Joshua Shulman, vice president of the Newington Board of Education. "Kids will be walking around saying happy Halloween on Friday, there are many fun activities going on in the schools."
Dr. Collins says kids and expect a fun day on Friday, just without costumes.
As a precaution, there will be extra security at Newington Public Schools although the superintendent says there were no credible threats ever made against the system or any children.
Moving forward the district stated they will attempt to improve their communication strategies to prevent another misunderstanding from happening. Click here to view the notice sent home to parents regarding Halloween.
Related Links: