A Parade Without Candy?!

Once again I find myself banging my head against my desk in amazement that I chose this school district.  My daughter’s elementary school principal is way too high strung and controlling.  I had to cut myself off from volunteering and such because being involved was too stressful.  Last year while expressing my concern that my Son’s ADHD needs were not being met I was “reminded” that we are school of choice.  I have chosen to ignore the threatening content of the statement because my kids are too deep and settled to pull them out because I think the administration are weenies.

Here’s the latest.  There is no candy allowed at the parade this weekend for Homecoming.  Sari’s walking in the parade for student council otherwise we would skip it all together.  The district has decided that candy at a parade is too dangerous.

I did some googling to see if there have been any incidents of death by parade candy.  After searching through several pages I did find one.  A nine year old was run over by a parade float.  This poor little guy was IN the parade, though, walking beside the float and reaching to GET more candy to pass out.  The only similarity between that tragedy and the reasons for the current candy ban is LACK OF SUPERVISION.  A 9 year old probably shouldn’t have been walking the parade route alone and reaching into a moving vehicle.

I will be the first to admit that the parade has been very irritating the last couple of years.  There were kids running from the side walk and up to close to the floats.   My kids were not allowed to do it.  They wanted to, but they remained on the curb and jumped for candy thrown their way.

So because there are parents out there who either dropped their kids off and left or sat back idly while their kids were constantly corralled by other people, the rest of us have to suffer. I find this to be a lazy way to deal with the situation.

They say they are going to beef up security and use cones for crowd control to enforce the no candy rule.  ??? Why not beef up security and use cones to enforce that kids stay in the designated area.

My district is the snootiest, cliquiest, richest one in the county.  Do you mean to tell me that they cannot afford some rope to wrap around those cones for HOMECOMING!?  Ugh.  Getting fired up over here.   And I’m supposed to be not saying anything negative for 7 days as per yesterday’s post!  Now I have to start all over again.  Dangit!

Have you ever been to a parade without candy?  It’s just about the stupidest thing I have ever heard.  Now they can “pass out” bracelets and the like, that is perfectly acceptable.

1. If they can “pass out” (hand to hand, no throwing)  bracelets and other non candy items, why can’t they “pass out” candy?
2. I have already been nickled and dimed to the tune of almost $200 since school started.  Do they really think I am now going to go BUY loads of beads and string and spends hours MAKING trinkets to pass out?

Oh! AND the district also claims that it is not only a safety issue but a health issue because candy is not healthy for the kids.  Interesting.  Funny that my daughter’s elementary school has a soda machine with Mountain Dew and last year in middle school my son came home hopped up the fundraiser candy he bought from his teachers every day.

Parade candy is not really that big of a deal, I realize.  To me, it is just the point and the long line of nonsense that precedes it.  To my kids, though, it will be pretty disappointing.

I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on this.  Especially if you agree with me.  If you don’t it’s okay.  But I will be including you in my special GRINCH post for the holidays.
Thanks Kristytsirk for the pic!

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