On October 31st, students arrive to school dressed in their best Halloween costumes, but not this year. High school principal Jeff Long decided dressing up wasn’t part of the agenda.

He decided last Halloween that there would be no dressing up this year. Long said last year at 2:30, when he was still getting calls from parents, he told his assistant principals that every other Halloween had just been ruined. Long said that costumes are too much work for the office.

“I am unwilling to subject this office to the amount of work that costumes bring us – is the real answer. I am unwilling to subject my APs [Assistant Principals] and myself to the amount of work that one day brings us,” Long said.

If he tells a student to change, Long said, he receives phone calls from parents. They will call and tell him that their student’s costume was appropriate and they are going to the school board, which causes Long to have to spend the day talking to parents.

Long said parents want to argue with him all day about why their kid is in trouble when it is his authority. Long chose not to lay down stricter rules because he said he knew parents don’t understand that, and they would still want to argue that their child’s costume is acceptable.

“That’s what I could say to them [students who are upset by the change]: Stay home and wear it all day long, kids, but do not wear it here,” Long said.

Students have been left upset and confused about Halloween costumes since the idea started spreading through the halls.

Junior Riley Franklin said Halloween has always been something fun to participate in because it is the only way for her to show off her costume. She doesn’t trick-or-treat anymore unless it is with her young niece.

Franklin said she believes these rules are eliminating the fun from high school. She said taking away these activities take away some of the fun of high school, which is a reason students go cyber.

Junior Elliott Ferrent said she feels as though many kids are angry and confused, including herself. She said it seems that the school is letting a few kids ruin freedom for the rest of the school.

“I feel like Halloween is one of the most participated school spirit days we have. Being in yearbook and Student Council, I know kids thank us and love that there is a page in the yearbook and candy from Student Council,” Ferrent said about losing the costume spirit day, which is now an orange and black spirit day. She said she believes that without a costume day, the spirit day will become one that no one participates in.

Ferrent and Franklin are both upset by the change in spirit day for Halloween. They both had costumes planned, but they are now not allowed to wear them to school.