BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — No costumes Halloween at one Panama-Buena Vista Union School District this Halloween is causing frustration among some parents, who say they’re less concerned about costumes and more upset about what they call poor communication from school administrators.
Sing Lum Elementary Principal Dion Lovio recently notified parents through Canvas that the school would not be hosting any Halloween celebrations this year.
“Parents — Even though we are still a month out from Halloween, I wanted to front-load you with some information,”
Lovio wrote. “We will not be having any Halloween celebrations on campus this year, so students should not wear their costumes to school. That Friday will be treated as a regular learning day with assessments taking place.”
Lovio added that students were welcome to wear Halloween or orange-and-black shirts if they chose to, and wished families a safe trick-or-treating evening.
For parents like Celeste Sasvin, who has two children at Sing Lum, the message was disappointing.
“The Halloween thing is just irritating because it’s a tradition they’ve done for as long as my kids have gone there,” Sasvin said. “My oldest started at Sing Lum in third grade — now my youngest still goes — so it’s a frustrating change.”Sasvin said her frustration goes beyond the canceled celebrations.
“We were told over a month in advance that they couldn’t wear costumes,” she added. “It’s just funny — their priorities feel kind of messed up. They’ll have no problem telling us not to wear costumes, but when it comes to important things like district board meetings or major changes, we find out the day of.” She’s not the only parent raising concerns.
Ashley Smith, another Sing Lum parent, shared emails with 23ABC showing her repeated attempts to get clear answers about no costumes for Halloween this year.
“For weeks, I’ve tried to get clear, direct answers regarding whether students will be allowed to dress up on Halloween,” Smith wrote. “Instead, I’ve been met with vague responses and emails sent after hours on Fridays — clearly timed to avoid timely replies or accountability.”Smith added that the lack of district-wide consistency is “not only frustrating, it’s inequitable and unacceptable.”
23ABC reached out to the Panama-Buena Vista Union School District multiple times for comment but has not received a response.
The only statement so far has come from Principal Lovio, who posted a follow-up message to parents on Canvas:
“While I recognize that not everyone may agree with the outcome, I want you to know it was guided by our shared goal of preparing students for long-term success in school and beyond,” Lovio wrote. “Thank you for understanding.”
For parents like Sasvin, the issue now is less about Halloween and more about communication.
“If everything at that school was communicated better, you wouldn’t have so many angry parents,” she said. “Even when we need help or have questions, I’ve called the office and been told, ‘I don’t know.’ They’ll tell me to contact the teacher — but nobody seems to know anything.”
Parents say they hope the situation sparks a larger conversation about transparency and timely communication within the district — so future changes don’t come as such an unwelcome surprise.
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