Scary Masks, fake teeth and bags of candy. Halloween is the time to let loose and have fun. It’s the one day of the year you can dress as wacky, gory or crazy as you want- and no one will judge you.

Unfortunately, as Carlsbad High students we don’t get to enjoy this luxury. The crazy dress up that makes Halloween so fun, is seen as strictly inappropriate. This means no scary witches, no sheets with holes cut out for eyes and no festivities. Students have the freedom to wear what they want as long as it adheres to the policies of the dress code… so what makes Halloween any different?

Strolling down the halls on any given day, there seems to be a never ending amount of culprits bending the rules of the dress code. Short skirts, tiny tops, pants down to your knees- these are only a few of the offensive trends that the school seems to overlook. So what seems odd is that the school board worries Halloween will give students the opportunity to break the dress code, when in reality what they should worry about is the fact that a vast majority of students are already breaking the dress code on a daily basis and without the excuse of a holiday.

Neon Day. Sports Day. Superhero Day-they all give students the opportunity to break the dress code, yet they are allowed because they boost school spirit and bring a sense of comradery to the campus. By disallowing students to dress up for Halloween, the spirit of the holiday is sucked out and school spirit is reduced to a grumbling murmur of discontent.

Dressing up for Halloween will continuously be a tradition. No matter the rules the school places on it, students are still going to want to dress up and have fun.

The school policies claim that students have the right to exercise free expression, which means students should have the right to dress up for Halloween if they choose and if it adheres to the rules of the dress code.

If free expression really is accepted at Carlsbad High, then students should have the freedom of dressing in what they want. There is always going to be someone who violates those terms, but for most of us students, we can handle the responsibility of dressing appropriately.

By taking away the privilege of dressing up, the school board rips away the opportunity to make the learning environment a place students want to attend. Hopefully,  the school administration will take notice of the lack of holiday enthusiasm displayed this last Halloween and will work on a compromise to allow students the privilege of dressing up and showing a little holiday spirit in the future.