Dressing up for Halloween can be a lot of fun since it is the one day of the year when people can wear ridiculous costumes and not be judged for it. With the recent clown scares happening across the country, many schools have considered banning Halloween costumes all together. Are the schools justified in banning the outfits? Is there a limit to what should be banned?

There are definitely plausible reasons as to why a school would not allow its students to wear costumes on Halloween. One valid justification is the belief that costumes jeopardize the safety of students and hinders the teachers’ abilities to teach by distracting other students. The prohibition of the fanciful outfits would be decided upon due to good intentions. The school just wants to be cautious and make sure the students are able to learn in a safe and secure environment. Another reason for banning costumes would be the vulgarity of some of the outfits dawned on Halloween. By forbidding all Halloween costumes, there’s no excuse justifying a student’s offensive or indecent outfit because he is forced to comply with the normal Code of Conduct. Many students, including Stephanie Martin, agree with the statement that lewd costumes should be prohibited, as they think that costumes are fun but “there’s a limit” which would include “no masks or anything scandalous.” It should be pretty easy for high school students to discern whether what they are wearing is school appropriate. Hailey Rankel said, “I don’t agree with sexual costumes” and she believe that only “sophisticated and appropriate costumes” should be allowed. The line between what is and is not appropriate to wear can often be blurred, as students come from different upbringings and may not think that what they are wearing is indecent while those around them do.

Costumes should definitely be allowed on Halloween, but of course, there should be some restrictions. Full face masks could be a huge problem, as the student cannot be identified with it on. That makes it awfully easy for an intruder to walk freely around the school. It is all right to express yourself and wear whatever costumes you would like, as long as it follows school rules. When asked about the matter, Cali Sullivan told Paw Print, “Of course they should be able to wear them, it should just follow dress codes.” Taking into account school regulations should be important when deciding what to wear to school on Halloween.

When it comes down to it, dressing up for Halloween is all in good fun. Do not be afraid to show off your costume and enjoy all the candy you will be rewarded with for wearing it.