We are banning green track suits as costumes for elementary school students this Halloween in some parts of the U.S. The signature Squid Game garb along with its traditional schoolyard games played in the series is causing a ruckus for the K though 6th grade demographic, it seems. Principals and superintendents are preemptively relaying the rules to parents, and suggesting that they encourage their children to refrain from mimicking the show on the playground.
The Mott Road Elementary School principal wrote, “We have observed that some students at recess have been playing a version of the squid game which is intended for mature audiences, ages 16 and older. Due to concerns about the potential violent nature of the game, it is inappropriate for recess play or discussion at school. Additionally, a Halloween costume from this show does not meet our school costume guidelines due to the potential violent message aligned with the costume.”
Alright, I was just at a store, I won’t single them out, last weekend, and there were all different kinds of costumes for the youngsters to don this Halloween season, including small sized Squid Game costumes. I was scoping out the grown-up sized Ghostbusters offerings. Kids were all over those track suits and the red-light-green-light girl costumes, the masks, all of it.
There were gory face masks, Freddy fingers, devils, skeletons, werewolves, even poop! Singling out this particular series stems from children loving the TV MA show. When I was a little girl I didn’t beg to dress up as Regan from The Exorcist, because I had not seen that classic yet. I was working on my cursive. I wanted to be Aimee from Galaxy High School.
Superintendent, Dr. Craig Tice issued a statement on yesterday to CNYCentral, reiterating, “Each October, our elementary principals remind our families about our guidelines for Halloween costumes, namely that no items that can be interpreted as weapons should be brought to school, such as toy swords or guns, and that costumes should not be too gory or scary so as not to scare our younger students. Because of the COVID pandemic, there will once again be no Halloween parades this year. Staff members have recently noted that some students at recess have been mimicking games from “Squid Game,” a Roblox video game and a Netflix show that is intended for mature audiences due to the violence depicted in the show. Because of this activity, our principals wanted to make sure our families are aware that it would be inappropriate for any student to wear to school a Halloween costume from this show because of the potential violent messages aligned with the costume. They also wanted families to be aware that some of our younger students are talking about and mimicking aspects of the show/game at school so parents and guardians would have the opportunity to speak with their children themselves about it and reinforce the school message that games associated with violent behavior are not appropriate for recess.”
Dr. Joseph Ricca, the superintendent of New York’s White Plains Public Schools, had a different reaction, and has not banned the track suits. “We understand that different types of costumes have different types of experience and historical connections, and it’s hard to single out one particular type of costume and say that’s not allowed. One of the things we’ve been hearing about in school districts all across the country, is children coming to school and playing Squid Game on the playground. It’s never appropriate to play at harming one another, and that really is the guiding principle here.”
I am childfree, so I have been spared the utterly confusing task of what is appropriate for children to watch. My brother is still sworn to secrecy for the time I mistakenly took him, at age 9, to see Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny. There were some wild questions to be answered on that ride home. But ya know who turned me on to Squid Game? A ten year old. This news originated at /cnycentral.com.
Source: movieweb.com