Pennsylvania school district cancels Halloween parade over inclusivity concerns
Linda Joseph, a parent in the Lower Merion School District, says she's fighting back and predicts the cancelations won't end here.
A Pennsylvania mom is slamming her local school district for canceling its annual Halloween parades over safety and inclusivity concerns.
Administrators in the Lower Merion School District, located in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, sent emails to families at all six of its elementary schools last week saying the parades, which date back over 50 years, will not happen this year.
"Somebody was offended. So they're trying to take away our Halloween parade. And it's just another thing in this weird cancel culture era that we're living in," Lower Merion School District parent Linda Joseph told "America's Newsroom" Wednesday.
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Kids in Halloween costumes (iStock)
Officials cited security concerns and the well-being of students who do not celebrate Halloween. Children will still be able to dress up in costumes and participate in fall-themed activities in classrooms on the 31st, the district said.
"To anyone who's offended or does not want their children to participate… keep your kid home that day, don't rain on everyone else's parade," Joseph responded.
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Joseph added that banning Halloween parades is "ridiculous" because students have had other privileges taken away from them during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We fought so hard for our kids just to be able to breathe freely," she said of mask mandates in classrooms. "So much has already been removed and taken away from our children. And we're just starting to get back to some sense of normalcy. And now they do this."
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Joseph fears future holiday celebrations will suffer the same fate as the Halloween parades.
"I don't think it's going to end here… next year someone is going to be offended by Valentine's Day and then it's going to be Christmas. So my question is, where does this end?"
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