The Great Smoky Mountain Journal

Staff, Wire Reports

Posted: Sunday, January 21, 2018 06:32 PM

Halloween, Fall Festival Bans Costumes To Become "More Inclusive"

First, they banned Halloween. Now, Hillcrest Elementary School in Waukesha, Wisconsin is banning fall festival costumes -- all because of inclusivity.

"To maximize that fun and time of fall fest, we are going to ask families to not send costumes this year," read a letter sent to parents. "We want to be inclusive of all families including those families who don't celebrate Halloween or find purchasing a costume a hardship."

School leaders did not say who they were trying to appease by banning the costumes. Parents say the grade school is taking all the fun out of the holiday.

"This is something that I know the kids look forward to every year," Jeremy Watson told WTMJ.

"I just think it's sad," added parent Crystal Landry. "I think that there's different paths they could have gone down instead of just canceling the whole thing all together."

The principal told the television station they ended the longtime tradition because some families don't celebrate Halloween "and because of the challenges with teachers having to manage all of the students changing in and out of costumes."