LANCASTER, Mass. — Lancaster parents said they are frustrated after Mary Rowlandson Elementary School’s annual Halloween Husky Walk was canceled this year.
Parents said they received a letter from Principal Scott Blanchard stating that a growing number of students choosing not to participate is what prompted the decision.
“My kid’s grandmother walked in the walk, all four kids I have walked in the walk, I walked in the walk, my husband’s walked in the walk, it’s just one of those right to passage things. It’s a tradition that has lasted, oh, it’s been since the 60s at least,” Mary Flynn, a parent, tells Boston 25.
A petition with over 400 signatures is now calling for the walk to be revived.
“When we asked, we were told in the past there was roughly about 24 students who opted to either stay home or do another option that we always provide every year,” Jennifer King, another parent, tells Boston 25. “This past year we were quoted that it was about 56 students out of about 470 roughly, and if you do the math it’s about 11%.”
Boston 25 reached out to Blanchard directly; he says he realizes how important this tradition is for the community and did cite the lack of participation as a reason, but that he is aware parents want the walk reinstated.
When asked if he would reconsider, Blanchard did not immediately respond.
“It’s just a 15-minute walk down the street, but it means everything to not only our children, but to a lot of people in this community who don’t have children,” Amber Garcia, another parent told Boston 25.
“It has to come back,” said KD, another parent, who put together 600 candy bags for the town’s Halloween on the Green this weekend.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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