A New Jersey school district canceled Halloween celebrations and banned costumes at school, citing concerns with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).
The decision was made earlier this month by Superintendent Dr. Ronald Taylor of the South Orange & Maplewood School District (SOMSD) just west of Newark.
Costumes will be banned during school hours, and any Halloween celebrations at schools will have to be held after school hours, Taylor wrote in an October 6 letter to families.
“As you know, SOMSD is committed to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion meaningfully – not just saying the words but also promoting an inclusive school,” the superintendent wrote.
“Each year, questions arise from families, students, and staff about what SOMSD schools will be doing regarding Halloween,” Taylor wrote. “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?”
The district said it surveyed school principals to ask whether school-sponsored Halloween celebrations should continue or if the district should pivot to something like a fall festival that focused on the season of autumn.
The responses from the principals were “overwhelming” in favor of discontinuing school Halloween celebrations, the district said.
As a result, all elementary schools will likely eventually have a “Fall/Harvest Festival event” that can happen during school time, the superintendent said.
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While any Halloween celebrations must be held after school hours, they can be held in partnership with an affiliated organization like a school’s parent-teacher group, the superintendent said.
“All of us realize that this breaks with what the District has usually done, and that can be a difficult thing to do sometimes,” said Dr. Kevin Gilbert, assistant superintendent of Access and Equity. “Often, working to instill greater equity in our district begins with recognizing that we cannot do what we have always done. But with this decision, we are taking a step closer to upholding our community’s access and equity values.”
Governor Phil Murphy, a Democrat, reacted to the district’s Halloween decision on Tuesday.
“Seriously? We can’t let kids celebrate Halloween? Give me a break,” Murphy posted on X.
Halloween has been controversial among progressives for about a decade now. Critics argue that certain costumes are culturally or racially insensitive, such as a white person wearing a Native American headdress or traditional Asian garments.