A Pennsylvania school district is canceling a popular Halloween parade. Why? Apparently, an outdoor Halloween celebration is unacceptably dangerous and unacceptably exclusive.
Lower Merion, A school district outside Philadelphia announced to parents last week that it would be canceling a popular Halloween parade in all six of its local elementary schools. The district justified the decision by invoking safety fears and concerns over the possible exclusion of children who do not celebrate Halloween. The decision is a clear example of what happens when safety concerns run afoul of reasoning. While the parades have consistently been a fun event for local schoolchildren, overblown and illogical concerns about "stranger danger"—and emotional distress to children who choose not to participate—have led officials to unnecessarily quash a beloved tradition.
