Please join me in petitioning to let the Central Bucks School District elementary school children celebrate Halloween with a party and the annual Halloween parade.

It appears each school has made independent decisions on how and when it will celebrate Halloween, if at all.  Some schools were proactive in anticipating the storm and held their celebration the week prior to the actual holiday. 

While the children have missed five days of school, that will most likely be added to the end of the school year, I do not feel taking two hours from the instructional and learning time will jeopordize our precious "blue ribbon status".  The district already forces massive amounts of homework and learning time on them. These children range in age from 5 to 11 years old and look forward to having fun in school with their friends and fellow students.  They will have many years ahead of them to be responsible hard working adults.  I feel we should let the kids be kids. 

Here is an excert from a mass email sent out by Warwick Elementary school princpal Mr. Watters:

". .we all want the kids back in school!...............5 days will have passed since most/all of us recognized Halloween.  For lack of a better way to say it, it's time to move on."

The tone from the other principals is smiliar and while i agree being cooped up with children in a house without modern convienences to keep them occupied can be frustrating we need to let them enjoy their time as children as they will grow up fast.

I have attended every Halloween parade for my children and have many pictures of my children, other parents taking pictures, parent smiling and most of all children smiling.  The children look forward to these activities in school.

My family and many of my friends have grown up in central bucks county and attended Central Bucks schools.  In the past few years I have seen the amount of parent involvement allowed by the school administration greatly diminish and have become quite frustrated with their new policies and procedures for parents attending functions and participating in the childrens' school year.

Please join in my petition and hopefully we can bring some change to the decisons that have been made and allow the children to celebrate their Halloween.