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Students and staff at Joliet West High School will be allowed to wear costumes on Friday, October 31, as part of the school's Halloween celebration. The school has released specific guidelines to ensure costumes are appropriate and safe for the school environment.
According to the announcement, "All costumes must be aligned with student dress code guidelines. Guidelines are in the Student Handbook." The school also stated, "No weapons of any kind (look-alike or real) may be brought to school, nor should the costume depict blood or violence." Additionally, "Masks and face-coverings are not allowed," and "Face paint is not allowed."
Costumes should not interfere with students' ability to move safely through the building or participate in daily routines. The announcement advises, "Costumes should be reasonable in size so that students can walk safely and sit at their desks and go about the routines of their normal day. (i.e. avoiding sumo wrestling costumes, inflatable dinosaurs, etc.)" The school further notes, "If you think your costume might be inappropriate, it probably is."
Joliet West High School serves grades 9 through 12 and had an enrollment of 3,310 students in the 2019-2020 school year. The student body is diverse, with 34.9 percent white students, 21.2 percent black students, 39 percent Hispanic students, and 1.7 percent Asian students, according to the Illinois Report Card (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/). The largest group by grade level was ninth graders, who made up 27.3 percent of the student population (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/).
The school encourages all participants to follow the guidelines to ensure a safe and enjoyable event for everyone.
