Walpole, Massachusetts school drops Halloween parade for spirit day; parents petition
Elm Street School in Walpole, Massachusetts, cancelled its Halloween parade and costumes in favour of a black-and-orange spirit day on Friday. A parent petition asking it to reconsider has gathered hundreds of signatures.
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The story, neutrally told
Mixed · 2Elm Street School, an elementary school in Walpole, Massachusetts, has cancelled its annual Halloween parade and its tradition of costumes in class. The IndependentLC “An elementary school in Walpole, Massachusetts, has canceled its annual Halloween parade” Read at The Independent ↗ NewsweekN “A Massachusetts elementary school has canceled its annual Halloween parade and tradition of wearing costumes” Read at Newsweek ↗ Mixed · 2Students will instead mark the occasion on Friday with a black-and-orange spirit day. The IndependentLC “students at Elm Street School will celebrate with a black-and-orange spirit day on Friday” Read at The Independent ↗ NewsweekN “this year students will be celebrating on Friday with a Spirit Day” Read at Newsweek ↗ Left · 1Parent Liz Campbell told CBS News that the principal's newsletter said costumes were not allowed, but that the cancellation of the parade itself came by word of mouth through the children. The IndependentLC ““The principal sent out a note in one of her newsletters saying costumes are not allowed,” parent Liz Campbell told CBS News.” Read at The Independent ↗
Left · 1Parents say the decision came with little warning, leaving too little time to plan an alternative after-school event. The IndependentLC “Parents say the decision was made with little warning, leaving them without enough time to plan an alternative after-school event.” Read at The Independent ↗ Mixed · 2An online petition launched on Monday asks the administration to reconsider and let students wear costumes to school. It had nearly 400 signatures when The Independent reported on Tuesday and nearly 700 by Thursday morning, according to Newsweek. The IndependentLC “gathering nearly 400 signatures from current and past Walpole parents” Read at The Independent ↗ NewsweekN “has garnered nearly 700 signatures as of reporting on Thursday morning” Read at Newsweek ↗ Centre · 1The petition calls the parade a "cherished tradition" and says a decision affecting it "deserves input from the families and community it impacts". NewsweekN “describes the parade as a “cherished tradition” and said that a decision that affects a “meaningful” school tradition “deserves input from the families and community it impacts.”” Read at Newsweek ↗
Centre · 1It cites Falmouth Elementary School, which in September asked students not to wear costumes but reversed course after more than 600 families signed a petition. NewsweekN “had to reverse course on the decision after more than 600 families signed a petition to ask school officials to rethink their decision.” Read at Newsweek ↗ Left · 1Students recalled the parade fondly. A middle schooler named Ryann said younger children now miss what older ones enjoyed, and another named Avery described high-fiving costumed classmates as they passed. The IndependentLC ““The kindergarteners now don’t get to experience what we got to,” said a student named Ryann”“we’d all be able to just put our hands out and high-five them” Read at The Independent ↗ Mixed · 2There is local precedent: Walpole's Boyden School replaced its parade with a spirit day, which Newsweek dates to 2017, and parent committees then organised separate events such as trunk-or-treat. The IndependentLC “the town’s Boyden School did the same, replacing its parade with a black-and-orange spirit day” Read at The Independent ↗ NewsweekN “Back in 2017, Boyden School replaced its parade with a black and orange spirit day, prompting parent committees to organize separate celebrations.” Read at Newsweek ↗
Left · 1Parents say trick-or-treating will go ahead as usual on Saturday. The IndependentLC “parents say trick-or-treating will continue as usual on Saturday” Read at The Independent ↗ Centre · 1Newsweek said it had asked Elm Street School and the Walpole School Committee for comment. Neither outlet reports the school's stated reason for the change. NewsweekN “Newsweek has reached out to Elm Street School and the Walpole School Committee via email for comment.” Read at Newsweek ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left1 outlet
- Framing
- The Independent leads with the cancellation and resulting 'outrage', built around parents' and children's CBS News quotes and a sense of lost childhood experience.
- Emphasis
- Short notice to parents, children's memories, the fleeting nature of childhood.
- Leaves out or plays down
- No school response or stated rationale; no mention of the Falmouth reversal.
- Charged language
- “Outrage ensues”
- For example
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“Massachusetts school cancels Halloween for ‘black-and-orange spirit day’. Outrage ensues” — The Independent
“it's fleeting” — The Independent
Centre1 outlet
- Framing
- Newsweek presents a trend of schools changing Halloween policies, with the Walpole petition alongside the Falmouth reversal and an Ohio cancellation.
- Emphasis
- The petition's wording and signature count, Massachusetts Halloween culture, comparable cases elsewhere.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Less on children's reactions and on parents' complaint about short notice; no school rationale, as it awaits comment.
- Charged language
- “backlash”“cherished tradition”
Right0 outlets
No right outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
What every side reports
- Elm Street School in Walpole, Massachusetts cancelled its Halloween parade.
- Students will hold a black-and-orange spirit day on Friday.
- An online petition seeks to restore the parade and costumes.
- Parent Liz Campbell told CBS News the parade's cancellation spread by word of mouth.
- Boyden School in Walpole made a similar change years earlier.
Where accounts differ
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Petition size
- Left
- Nearly 400 signatures on Tuesday.
- Centre
- Nearly 700 signatures by Thursday morning.
Left1 article
-
Massachusetts school cancels Halloween for ‘black-and-orange spirit day’. Outrage ensues
Sympathetic Parent- and child-focused account of a lost tradition, with an 'outrage' headline.
Centre1 article
-
Elementary School Cancels Halloween, Costumes—Replaces It With ‘Spirit Day’
Neutral Places the Walpole petition in a wider pattern of school Halloween changes and notes it is awaiting school comment.
Right0 articles
No coverage yet.
- 27 Oct 17:40 First The IndependentLC Massachusetts school cancels Halloween for ‘black-and-orange spirit day’. Outrage ensues
- 29 Oct 17:25 +47h 45m NewsweekN Elementary School Cancels Halloween, Costumes—Replaces It With ‘Spirit Day’
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.
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