This year at Centennial High School, students and staff alike are not allowed to wear costumes to campus on Halloween day. 

All of this could most likely partially be due to regulations in place at this school not allowing students to wear certain things that could potentially be disruptive to the educational process, or endanger the health and safety of others, according to the most recent student handbook. 

“I know part of the reason stems from school policy,” Grant Preuitt, a security guard here at CHS said. “You can’t have spaghetti straps, no open stomachs. Some costumes are more scandalous than others. They could potentially make others offended, afraid to learn, or speak their mind.”

Other examples stated in the student handbook that aren’t allowed on school campus include spiked metal accessories, chains larger than one centimeter in size, and garments covering the head and/or face (unless they are meant for cultural, religious, or medical reasons previously approved by the school administration).  

As for types of clothing that students are allowed to wear, students can wear skirts that reach at least to the end of their fingertips, shirts with less than one inch of abdomen exposed, and tops with at least some sort of shoulder covering or shoulder straps. 

 “Maybe there’s potential for change to happen in all rules. Probably not here. The rule has been here for years,” Preuitt said. 

The guidebook also states that these regulations in place can be altered at any time if current styles or trends call for a change. 

“If a student does end up getting caught with a costume, we’d have to pull them into the main office, ask if there are any clothes they can change into,” Preuitt said, explaining the consequences for anyone if they choose not to follow these rules. “If not, we pull something from the clothes closet and see if they can put that on.” 

In case of the event that a student doesn’t comply to the school’s wishes, parents or legal guardians may be contacted by the school and be told to bring extra clothing to provide for the student.