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Parents should check school rules for Halloween costumes

Oct 20, 2017 | 5:00 PM

Before children of the Battlefords head off to school dressed as little witches and ghouls, local school boards say parents should check on what costumes are allowed, and if they are at all.

Representatives from both Living Sky School Division and Light of Christ School Division said individual schools are responsible for costume rules.

Tom Hawboldt, superintendent of learning for Light of Christ, said in most cases it is actually up to the teachers to decide what is allowed in their classrooms.

“The level of appropriateness is judged by the teacher, just like we expect discipline to be handled by the teacher,” Hawboldt said.

Shannon Lessard, senior executive assistant/communications with Living Sky, had a similar response.

“Some of our schools do ‘Orange and Black Day’ instead of costumes and others still do allow students to wear costumes,” Lessard said. “I would say that the majority, if not all, of the schools would have some limitations about the types of costumes that can be worn though.”

Both school boards require costumes to be appropriate for schools, which means no excessive blood or gore, nothing overly sexual or revealing, nothing alcohol or drug related and not offensive in nature.

Hawboldt said students dressing up still have to follow dress code rules with the exception of headwear at John Paul II Collegiate. Hats will be permitted so long as they are related to a costume.

All schools in Living Sky’s division will either be allowing costumes or orange and black. Light of Christ varies much more, according to Hawbolt. He said St. Mary’s Elementary School is only allowing pirate costumes or orange and black because they have a pirate theme this year. He added St. Mary’s Elementary is not allowing any costumes at all.

 

greg.higgins@jpbg.ca

On Twitter @realgreghiggins