Outcry in Connecticut brings back canceled Halloween parades

MILFORD, Conn. (AP) - A Connecticut city's school system that canceled Halloween costume parades at its elementary schools has reversed its decision following an outcry from parents.

Milford Superintendent Elizabeth Feser wrote in a letter Monday the controversy over the annual parades was becoming a distraction.

She says the goal in canceling the parades had been to create a substitute Halloween celebration for families that would be inclusive of all children, including those who might not take part in the parades for religious or cultural reasons.

An online petition had been started asking the school district to restore the parades.

Victoria Johannsen is the mother of a third-grader at Live Oaks School. She tells Connecticut Post the decision to cancel was unfair to students who cherish the parades.