Halloween Hangover: Kids Want to Do Anything Except Go to School

And after all the tricks and treats on Halloween, parents are hearing all the excuses their children are making to skip school the next day.

KDKA-TV's Meghan Schiller chatted with 2 moms in Pittsburgh Tuesday, and both expressed frustration over their kids who wanted to do anything, just not sit still in class, CBS News reported.

Kids are not getting away with it though

One of the mothers, Susan Case, was glad that her kids' school, South Allegheny School District, gave students a 2-hour grace or delay period, enough time to "get it together," and move the kids out of the house and into their classes.

"I'm just not going to deal with it. They were pigging out last night," Case declared.

Mandy Vetter, another mom from the Sto-Rox School District, said that her son is autistic. On weekends, she allows him to enjoy movies and a giant bowl of candies, but she is not having it on school days. Thus, when he asked the day after Halloween if he could just stay home, Vetter demanded he get up and get out of bed because they are going to school.

Some school districts offered two-hour delays the day after Halloween like in South Allegheny. 

A two-hour delay after Halloween offers students an opportunity to get that much-needed rest and recharge after a long, energy-hyper night out. It  allows students to enjoy the holiday, and still be able to get the right amount of sleep before going to school. Without the 2-hour delay, a student's body will hit a wave of fatigue by the middle of the day, which will eventually affect performance and critical thinking skills.

Other school districts, on the other hand, who might also be expecting kids wanting to just stay at home after the fun and festivities the night before just decided to do a teacher in-service day.

Read Also: Protect Children's Teeth by Donating Halloween Candy to the Troops

Chronic Absence of Students

It isn't just happening after Halloween, unfortunately, because school districts have been observing that chronic absence in students is increasing, despite the pandemic almost over.

Pittsburgh Public Schools' attendance dashboard showed a 28 percent chronic absence rate.

This is much higher than the rate of 23 percent in 2020 and slightly better than 33 percent in 2021, with both years under the COVID-19 pandemic.

African American students were said to have missed the most classes so far this year in terms of race, which is followed by American Indian and Hispanic students.

In terms of gender, male students skipped class or school more than females.

Parents should not take chronic absence lightly, even just missing 2 days a month of school for whatever reason. They should know that this can be a problem for their children in a number of ways. 

Kids who are chronically absent during kindergarten and first grade are less likely to read on grade level when they reach 3rd grade. For older students, on the other hand, being chronically absent is strongly connected with failing grades at school, which can result in suspension or being dropped out from school. Further, chronic absenteeism is also associated with teen substance use and poor health during adulthood.

Related Article: New York Schools Ban' Squid Game' Costumes for Halloween