CHICAGO — In Chicago, Halloween in school is not the endless candy and crazy costume extravaganza it is on television and in movies. For many students, dressing up is not allowed — and sugar can be limited.
At Mary Gage Peterson Elementary School in North Park, kids are not allowed to wear costumes on Halloween. A former Peterson parent said the policy was built out of respect for the broad range of cultures and faiths represented at the school.
At Taft High School in Norwood Park, however, students will be able to dress up for the second year in a row. Even Principal Mark Grishaber plans to get into the Halloween spirit and dress up as the title character from the 2004 cult classic “Napoleon Dynamite.”
“It was fun,” Grishaber said of last year's festivities, adding that there were no issues with students wearing costumes.
In Chicago, individual schools can decide if they will or won't allow costumes, and, if they do allow them, what sort of restrictions they put on them.
Many, but not all, elementary schools are OK with students wearing costumes as long as they're not violent and the students don't wear masks or anything that will interfere with classes.
But the rules vary quite a bit and schools should be called for more information.
When it comes to candy, however, Chicago Public Schools does have a set policy for all schools: Avoid it.
"All local policies regarding the celebration of Halloween must comply with districtwide policies, such as the healthy snack and beverage policy and the student code of conduct," CPS spokeswoman Jessica Perez wrote in a statement, declining to elaborate on the wide range of policies districtwide.
At Pulaski International School in Bucktown, those districtwide policies mean students will receive items like pencils and coloring books instead of candy.
At Hamilton Elementary School in Lakeview, Principal James Gray said teachers throw color-themed orange parties for Halloween (“It sounds weird, but the kids love it.”).
“Halloween is a little different for us. We’re a healthy school, so there are no traditional Halloween treats,” Gray said. “CPS allows schools to have a couple mulligans where they can have [unhealthy] food, but we don’t take the mulligans.”
Here is a (nonexhaustive) list of Chicago schools and their costume rules to give an idea of the trends:
• At Ashe Elementary in Chatham, students can wear costumes.
• At Burley Elementary School in Lakeview, preschool students will have a Family Fun Fair on Friday night. Other students cannot wear costumes on Friday.
• At Clissold Elementary School in Morgan Park, students can wear costumes on Friday, according to the school's website. The usual rules apply — no masks and no weapons.
• At Disney II Magnet in Old Irving Park, students can wear Halloween costumes. There will be a "Boo Bash" after school on Friday with a costume contest, pumpkin-carving, scarecrow-building and more for $5.
• At Hamilton Elementary School in Lakeview, students from kindergarten through fifth grade can wear costumes.
• At Keller Regional Gifted Center in Mount Greenwood, children don't normally wear Halloween costumes to school, said the elementary school's secretary, though the first-grade teacher plans to make an exception. But Halloween is still celebrated at Keller with a special party from 6-9 p.m. Friday. The event is hosted by the Parent Teacher Association and proceeds will benefit an upcoming school trip, according to the school's website.
• At LaSalle Language Academy in Old Town, students can wear costumes as long as they aren't violent with dripping blood or cuts. Students cannot wear masks over their faces or hoodies over their heads.
• At LaSalle II Magnet School in East Village, students in grades pre-kindergarten through third grade can wear costumes but no masks or weapons will be allowed. Students in upper grades are encouraged to dress "festive" in orange and black or a themed shirt or accessory.
• At Mary Gage Peterson Elementary School in North Park, no costumes are allowed.
• At Nettelhorst Elementary School in Lakeview, elementary school children can wear costumes.
• At Ogden Elementary School Downtown, students can't wear face-covering masks or don costumes that promote drug, alcohol or weapon use (which means no prop weapons).
• At Orozco Community Academy in Pilsen, students in kindergarten through fifth grade are allowed to wear Halloween costumes.
• At Parker Elementary in Englewood, students with perfect attendance are having a private Halloween party, and only they can wear costumes.
• At Portage Park Elementary School in Portage Park, students can wear costumes but no masks, said Local School Council Chairwoman Victoria Benson.
• At Pulaski International School in Bucktown, students are allowed to wear costumes and can have their faces painted, but masks, hats, gloves, gory costumes, swords, guns or other violent accessories are not allowed. Students will host a costume parade.
• At A.N. Pritzker Elementary School in Wicker Park, students from kindergarten to third grade are allowed to wear Halloween costumes (violence, weapons, or demonic likeness costumes prohibited). The intermediate upper grade students are not allowed to dress up for Halloween.
• At Skinner West Elementary School in the West Loop, students in the sixth through eighth grades will celebrate Halloween with an after-school "Back to School Monster Bash" Friday. The party, which includes dancing, a costume contest and more fun, costs $6, and students must get a signed permission slip from parents to attend.
• At Stone Scholastic Academy in West Ridge, students in kindergarten through second grade can wear Halloween costumes. Older students don't have to wear a uniform.
• At Taft High School in Norwood Park, students will be allowed to wear Halloween costumes as long as they can still move and participate in class. Masks are not allowed, and costumes must not be "demeaning or offensive to any group,” according to the guidelines.
• At Waters Elementary in Lincoln Square, students can wear costumes. Friday is the culmination of Spirit Week. Students have a Halloween parade around the school campus in the morning. The only thing that doesn't seem to be allowed are weapons as part of a costume.
• At LaSalle II magnet school in East Village/Wicker Park, students in pre-kindergarten through third grade can wear costumes but no masks or weapons will be allowed. These grade levels are allowed to have Halloween Parties. Students in grades fourth-eighth grade are not permitted to wear costumes, but are encouraged to dress "festive" in orange and black or a themed shirt or accessory. The fourth- and fifth-graders also get a field trip to Brookfield Zoo that day and the middle schoolers have a dance.
• At Wells Community Academy High School in East Village, Principal Rita Raichoudhuri said students are welcome to dress up, but because they are high school-age student, "only a small percentage actually dress up.”
Raichoudhuri added, "I think the percentage of staff that dress up is higher than the percentage of students.”
Raichoudhuri said the school has some restrictions of the types of costumes that may be worn for safety reasons, but she was not immediately able to elaborate on the restrictions.
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