There is only one time a year that children decked out completely in rubik’s cube costumes and white blankets with eye holes can determinedly shove piles of Kit Kat bars and Tootsie Rolls into their open mouths. But just as everyone spends their days wondering about cheerleader costumes instead of quadratic formulas, the cat ear colors that are hot right now over the colors of other animal ears that aren’t, and the outcome of a zombie-bride combination instead of a chemical one, there are students that are wondering the generally unasked question: Will I get in trouble if I wear this?

Unfortunately, Parker students, it might be time to throw away Scream masks and nerf guns.  “No masks, no bloody or gory, or violent kind of images, no fake weapon are part of the costumes,” Head of the Middle School John Novick said,” because of the presence of young children in the school, small kids that could be easily scared.”

Parker’s upper school students hardly have anything to worry about when it comes to rules regarding group costumes, but what about middle schoolers who want to dress up with their friends, and not just for the parade, but for Halloween in general? Sadly, no longer can two people walk down the halls as matching oompa loompas or candy bars without disregarding this intermediate school rule.

“For grades six and seven, the first two years of middle school, there are no group costumes allowed, and a group is defined by more than one student, so there is no two or more people coordinating to dress alike,” Novick said. “There are group costumes allowed in grades six and seven if the whole advisory group does it, or if the whole section does it.”

Alas, sixth and seventh graders will have to wait at least one or two more years before they are allowed this freedom. “In eighth grade, in terms of the group stuff, we let them and the advisors sort that out,” Novick said. “Sixth, seventh is one policy, and eighth is another.”

Why is this rule so different from the ones in high school? Yes, high schoolers should still stick to the no-violence or gore rules–no-blood, no-weapons, no-masks–during the parade, but there aren’t any rules concerning group costumes. Though some may find this a surprise, high schoolers are considered to be past developmental stages, far enough in terms of developing self-esteem and self-confidence, secure enough in themselves as members of a group.

“I think it’s unfair,” seventh grader Celeste Lopez said. “You can’t dress up with your friends and have a fun time. A group costume, it’s just a fun idea.”

When asked if she understood the reasons behind this controversial rule, Lopez replied with a firm “No”.

So what is the purpose behind this rule? What could possibly be behind the school’s forbidding six and seventh graders from dressing up on Halloween with their best friends?

“Middle school kids, one of the things they are sorting out is who are they are as individuals and who they are as members of a group,” Novick said. “During that middle school time, when everyone is developing self esteem and self confidence, it’s really kind of important to maintain an environment where kids are not excluded.”

This isn’t to say that Parker students can’t dress up for Halloween. Dress up, and dress up in the craziest and most absurd costume possible. Ring every doorbell. But the next time (or next year) costume clothes are on sale or laid out for Halloween, think hard about the consequences of these costumes. Most importantly, remember these rules. They aren’t there for no reason.