Nearly every student in the high-school is of the same mind: Parker’s administration puts too many restrictions on its students.  No student would disagree that our administrators exert a lot of control over certain aspects of student life. But, perhaps they have good reason to do so.

The weekend before Halloween, the entire high school received an email from Upper School Dean of Students Christian Bielizna detailing restrictions on costuming at school.  Among his rules were blanket bans on blackface, religious garb, native headdresses, and “scary” costumes. He also requested that students do not “dress as a gay figure if [they] are not gay”.

I am doubtful that any student would object to his ban on blackface. This is certainly an appropriate (if not absolutely necessary) rule, providing protection to students of color.  I, and probably most other students, would be extremely concerned if blackface was allowed on Halloween, even under the guise of allowing unrestricted student expression.

The bans on religious garb and native headdresses are slightly more interesting to discuss, but ultimately their ban would still be considered appropriate use of administrative power by most Parker students.

Requiring that all high schoolers avoid “scary” costuming is where we start to get into dangerous territory.  Many students will contend that the banning of all things scary is far too broad, requires students to dumb down their costume choices far too much, and gives administrators unrestricted ability to strike down anything they dislike under the guise of “scary.”  It is important to remember, however, that we attend a Pre-K through 12th grade school. The administration has an obligation to protect all members of our community, and that includes the lower-school.

Part of the allure of our school is how community oriented it is, and that includes having high-schoolers and small children seeing each other on a daily basis, even if only when passing in the halls.  Our annual Halloween parade provides for even more interaction, and we have to be mindful of that. Is it really worth insisting on wearing your Scream mask if it gives a six-year old nightmares?

The costume restrictions that Bielizna provided are not without flaws however.  Most notably, he explicitly tells students, “Don’t dress as a gay figure if you are not gay.”  Read at face value, this restriction seems to be weirdly asking students to not dress as any famous person who happens to be gay.  No more Tim Cook or Ellen DeGeneres costumes for us.

With the proper rephrasing, this restriction could be far more thoughtful.  “Don’t dress as a sexuality,” or, “Don’t caricature any person’s sexuality with your costume,” would both be preferable alternatives.  Not only do these rephrasings clarify the intentions of the restriction, but they also expand the single identity of “gay” any and all sexualities that might be mocked.

And, while we may face Halloween costume restrictions, the clothes we wear everyday are almost entirely unrestricted.  Sure, a student might be asked to change if they literally showed up without pants on, but generally we have free rein.  I have seen things that would certainly be dress coded at other schools, from jeans with butt rips to obviously transparent shirts.  It seems that the administration knows that this is not a place where they need to add restrictions. They are thoughtful in what chose to restrict and are not just piling on the rules for fun.

In general, the restrictions the administration places on Parker’s high-school students are justifiable.  Certainly, some of them are ill-conceived and executed poorly, but they have good intentions. They understand the special role that high-schoolers play in a Pre-K through 12 school, but also that we need to be able to freely express ourselves.  I’m not saying Parker’s administrative restrictions are all fair, but at least they’re thought out.