People keep their kids home from school on Halloween

[Jalapeñomel]

For religious reasons? I had several kids email me to tell me that they are staying home tomorrow for religious reasons. I had no idea this was a thing.

[zoomzoom]

We had one girl who would do this. I think she was a Jehovah's Witness. They don't celebrate any holiday and I think her parents kept her at home b/c she didn't want her daughter to be celebrating Halloween in school with the costume parade and parties and such.

[nolasteph]

Our school emailed saying if we didn't want our kids to partake in the Halloween festivities (for whatever reason) we were to inform the school and not return the permission slip. They take the kids a block or two down to a home for the elderly where the kids trick or treat. Or, the kids not ToTing are kept at school to participate in other "fun activities." I've also known several people who celebrate Harvest, not Halloween (for religious reasons), so that's no surprise to me. Especially if the school is allowing kids to dress up or have Halloween parties.

[revolution]

are you having a Halloween party or just a regular day of school?

Our school doesn't celebrate Halloween at all, but next week they will have a fall harvest party.

[Jalapeñomel]

Oct 30, 2014 12:51:27 GMT -5 revolution said:

are you having a Halloween party or just a regular day of school?

Our school doesn't celebrate Halloween at all, but next week they will have a fall harvest party.

No Halloween party, regular school day.

I teach high school chem and earth science, so I have mostly upperclassmen. We are not having a party...I will be setting some things on fire for a demo, but that just happens to align with Halloween. The ES kids are getting a make up exam.

[Jalapeñomel]

Oct 30, 2014 12:41:03 GMT -5 mekiakoo said:

Never encountered this with my students. But we don't have school today and tomorrow fur conferences.

I sort of feel like kids at my school find any reason to miss school, and somehow their parents support them (not all of the kids of course).

[sandyapples]

Weird. At DD's school they celebrate Halloween but costumes are not allowed. They are supposed to wear orange and black. Seems pretty standard around here.

There is a very religious mom at the bus stop with twins in DDs class and I wonder if they celebrate Halloween. I have a feeling they don't but she seems nice enough about it.

[msmerymac]

Well, it is Samhain...

[thatgirl2478]

Yeah - it is.    Even among the more main stream religions...

Occasionally I'll listen to our local Christian radio station, and yesterday there was a woman who was going on and on about how Harry Potter was evil and pushing kids toward the occult. She also said that even though the 'spells' in the book weren't real latin, they did teach kids that words have power and that was an evil thing (more or less).  What pissed me off is that words DO have power and if someone who had never been exposed to Christianity came to a church service they might wonder WTF we were trying to do when the WHOLE CONGREGATION in UNISON said the Lords Prayer... (ie they could equate it to the same 'spells' or 'chants' that this crazy woman was saying were Satanic and we shouldn't allow our children to be exposed to).

Yeah - not all Christians are wack a do's like that...

[ginandjucie24]

I was raised as a Jehovah's Witness and we went to school on Halloween and all holidays. During the holiday party or activities we (my sisters and I) would go to the library and do worksheets or some other school work.

[iamgrace]

Yes, this happens and I take zero issue with it. The day is often a write off in terms of actual education, so if people who don't celebrate hallowee'en want to skip it, I respect that.

[falada45]

Yup. My mom used to keep me home on Halloween. I never got to go trick or treating as a kid.

[ladystardust]

My grade school BFF was kept home and didn't celebrate. It was odd because they weren't overly religious in any other way. I think it was just a weird sticking point for her mom.

[jinkies]

I went to a super-Christian college for a couple years. One of my professors basically told us that we were horrible sinners if we had ever celebrated Halloween, and that we should avoid all Halloween celebrations in the future.

My home church used to host Halloween costume parties, so apparently Satan's church is Presbyterian.

I did not last at this college.

[revolution]

Oct 30, 2014 12:55:32 GMT -5 Jalapeñomel said:

Oct 30, 2014 12:51:27 GMT -5 revolution said:

are you having a Halloween party or just a regular day of school?

Our school doesn't celebrate Halloween at all, but next week they will have a fall harvest party.

No Halloween party, regular school day.

I teach high school chem and earth science, so I have mostly upperclassmen. We are not having a party...I will be setting some things on fire for a demo, but that just happens to align with Halloween. The ES kids are getting a make up exam.

Well then, I find that quite fascinating. I didn't realize Halloween was a big religious holiday to some. Now I am really curious about what their religion is.

[Jalapeñomel]

kevin arnold any kid who tells me ahead of time that they are going to miss class never gets punished, regardless of the reason. Those are my responsible students; I am happy to help them out with what they miss or give them a make up exam.

[Jalapeñomel]

Oct 30, 2014 13:43:06 GMT -5 revolution said:

Oct 30, 2014 12:55:32 GMT -5 Jalapeñomel said:

No Halloween party, regular school day.

I teach high school chem and earth science, so I have mostly upperclassmen. We are not having a party...I will be setting some things on fire for a demo, but that just happens to align with Halloween. The ES kids are getting a make up exam.

Well then, I find that quite fascinating. I didn't realize Halloween was a big religious holiday to some. Now I am really curious about what their religion is.

Most of my student population is Latino, so I would guess they follow some sort of Christian religion. I am unaware of any JW in my classes, but that doesn't mean there aren't any. We do have a handful of Muslim students though.

[eb777888]

David's school does not celebrate Halloween. It's "Character Day" at his school tomorrow and they can dress up as a character from a book and they have to bring the book to school with them. I've noticed that nothing has said Halloween on his paperwork. The Halloween carnival they held was a "Fall Carnival". lol

[tictac]

I actually have a coworker that uses a PTO day for Halloween every year because my office allows dressing up and candy exchanges, and she doesn't want to be "exposed to evil" like that.

She's a really nice lady (otherwise, comes off very "normal") and she never condemns anyone else for participating, but she prefers to spend the day praying.

[Jalapeñomel]

Oct 30, 2014 15:52:01 GMT -5 tictac said:

I actually have a coworker that uses a PTO day for Halloween every year because my office allows dressing up and candy exchanges, and she doesn't want to be "exposed to evil" like that.

She's a really nice lady (otherwise, comes off very "normal") and she never condemns anyone else for participating, but she prefers to spend the day praying.

How odd. 

[Deleted]

C's daycare is at a Jewish community center. Tomorrow will be pajama day. Judaism doesn't observe Halloween.

[idoinjuly]

I teach preschool and I'm actually surprised that one of the kids in my class came today. His mom pointedly told me they don't celebrate Halloween and please don't include him in any Halloween themed craft. He came today dressed up and was trick or treating with the kids. The preschool is Christian and it was the pastor and other church employees handing out candy.

[Jalapeñomel]

Oct 30, 2014 17:48:34 GMT -5 @historychick79 said:

C's daycare is at a Jewish community center. Tomorrow will be pajama day. Judaism doesn't observe Halloween.

Isn't it a secular holiday like Labor Day or Presidents' Day? I have several Jewish friends who go trick or treating in costumes.

[balletofangels]

We don't celebrate Halloween at my school, but I've had kids who were Seventh Day Adventists skip it "just in case." But, we do have a lot of very religious families and I'm sure this is one of the reasons we don't celebrate. We keep the celebrations of specific holidays to a bare minimum in general. The kids did earn a "Fall Festival" and will be celebrating good behavior soon, but not tied to Halloween.

[karmasabiotch]

Jewish people trick or treat!

J's school has a fall celebration tomorrow where they wear orange and black and do a parade with masks they made. Call it Halloween and let them have fun!

[wildfloweragain]

I've never done anything that all students could not participate in, besides birthdays (the jw student would go on the computed during song/treat.)
Some of my wiccan students have stayed home and some have come to school. Its their biggest holiday, like new years sort of. If they need a religious day, take it. That's why we have religious exception days.

...sent from my Jedi Mind.

[Deleted]

LOLOLOLOL @ for religious reasons.

[wildfloweragain]

Oct 30, 2014 19:05:37 GMT -5 @bigtowlittletoe said:

LOLOLOLOL @ for religious reasons.

Did you not have any days off for religious reasons? If you don't have a religion, do you feel the same way when someone would want Christmas off?

...sent from my Jedi Mind.

[Deleted]

Oct 30, 2014 19:18:43 GMT -5 wildfloweragain said:

Oct 30, 2014 19:05:37 GMT -5 @bigtowlittletoe said:

LOLOLOLOL @ for religious reasons.

Did you not have any days off for religious reasons? If you don't have a religion, do you feel the same way when someone would want Christmas off?

...sent from my Jedi Mind.

I was thinking about people taking the day off to avoid Halloween.  If someone practices a religion that celebrates Halloween as a holy day, then by all means they should take off.  

[karmasabiotch]

Oct 30, 2014 17:48:34 GMT -5 @historychick79 said:

C's daycare is at a Jewish community center. Tomorrow will be pajama day. Judaism doesn't observe Halloween.

The hell we don't!!