An elementary school in Seattle has cancelled its annual Halloween parade, claiming without evidence that the event excludes black students, as reported by Breitbart.
On October 8th, Benjamin Franklin Day Elementary (BFDE) School sent out a newsletter to all parents informing them that the school’s beloved “Pumpkin Parade” would be cancelled.
“As a school with foundational beliefs around equity for our students and families,” the letter states, “we are moving away from our traditional ‘Pumpkin Parade’ event and requesting that students do not come to school in costumes.”
“Halloween events create a situation where some students must be excluded for their beliefs, financial status, or life experience,” the school continues in the letter. Costume parties often become an uncomfortable event for many children, and they distract students and staff from learning. Large events create changes in schedules with loud noise levels and crowds. Some students experience over stimulation, while others must deal with complex feelings of exclusion. It’s uncomfortable and upsetting for kids.”
The letter then offers alternative events that will take place instead of the parade, including “thematic units of study about the fall,” “autumnal artwork,” and events where students will share “cozy feelings of the season.”
When asked about the cancellation by Fox News, BFDE Principal Stanley Jasko doubled down on the decision, adding the baseless claims of racial discrimination.
“I agree this event marginalized our students of color. Several of our students historically opted for an alternate activity in the library while the pumpkin parade took place,” Jasko claimed. “This was an isolating situation and not consistent with our values of being an inclusive and safe place for all our students – especially students of color and those with a sensitivity to all the noise and excitement of the parade.”
A BFDE spokesperson later echoed Jasko’s claims, again without providing any evidence.
“Historically, the Pumpkin Parade marginalizes students of color who do not celebrate the holiday,” the spokesperson claimed. “In alliance with SPS’s unwavering commitment to students of color, specifically African American males, the staff is committed to supplanting the Pumpkin Parade with more inclusive and educational opportunities during the school day.”
The decision was covered by conservative talk radio host Jason Rantz, who responded to the action by saying “Nothing says equity quite like making every student miss out on the fun because some administrator invented a scenario where students feel excluded.”
Rantz spoke to David Malkin, the father of a seven-year-old student at BFDE and an Asian-American, who described the decision as an “exercise in affluent White vanity that is wokeism.”
“I don’t see any way in which this actually addresses any inequities to the extent that there are any inequities,” Malkin said in an interview with Rantz. “You know, this just seems like grandstanding on behalf of the principal and the staff who are predominantly white.”
Rantz agreed, citing the policy as the latest example of Critical Race Theory, the far-left and widely-debunked conspiracy theory which claims that all White people are automatically racist, and that America is a fundamentally racist country. CRT, Rantz said, is “a racist belief, but one they hold in the name of equity. Meanwhile, all the school is doing is making every student equally miserable.”