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School officials discuss dress codes for Halloween costumes

Posted at 8:13 PM, Oct 29, 2014
and last updated 2014-10-30 09:40:58-04

SALT LAKE CITY -- In a few days, princesses and superheroes will be roaming Bonneville Elementary as the school celebrates their annual Halloween Parade.

"My favorite part is walking around the school and showing our costumes," said Grace Swanson, who is a fifth-grade student at the school.

"This year I’m going to dress up as a bandito--I have a poncho, a sombrero, a mustache and that's about it," fifth-grader Samuel Poulsen said.

But as students dress up in their spooky best, school districts across the state agree there are few things kids need to leave at home.

"Students need to come prepared and ready to learn," said Donna Reid, the Principal of Bonneville Elementary School. "Anything that might be a distraction or pull students away from the studies would be inappropriate."

Educators said that can include anything ranging from clothing that doesn't meet the dress code to costume props.

"The district’s policy is that we don't have weapons or anything that may look like a weapon," Reid said.

Teachers at Bonneville Elementary said it's rare to see any inappropriate costumes, but it's a different story for older kids.

"We'll always have someone that wears a full mask, and we say, 'Hey, you can't wear that.' There's always a couple of those every year," said Chris Jenson, the Assistant Principal at Highland High School.

At Highland high, students have to be recognizable--meaning no masks or face paint. Officials said parents should help enforce the dress code on Halloween.

"Check your student before they leave and make sure that we don't have real short shorts and different skimpy Halloween outfits,” Jenson said.

Rules for Halloween costumes are different for schools throughout the state, and teachers said it's best for parents to go online to see what their school's regulations are.