Last Friday afternoon, an email from Principal Wes Paul and Athletic Director Bill Matthews addressed the rumors of Halloween parties planned last weekend and this upcoming weekend. It has become somewhat of a tradition for some people to throw “Halloweekend” parties as a way to celebrate the holiday and have fun with friends.
This year was proving to be no exception, and the email was sent to inform families that having parties would be very dangerous. In this email, the administration said “these parties have been the root cause of major increases in COVID 19 cases”, and advised them to think about the “serious consequences” that could occur after having large events.
After this email was sent, an email signed “The Class of 2021” was sent to Mr. Paul in response to his letter. This email expressed discontent with the lack of senior events. “Please consider that the minor risk of a Halloween party or turf night increasing virus numbers is insignificant in comparison to the widespread emotional distress of the class,” the letter said. Though there is not an exact number of how many emails the school received, it is true that multiple members of the senior class sent it as a form of protest. You may click here so you can learn how mastering professional email etiquette can lead to more engagements.
The student email highlighted how difficult this time has been for the Class of 2021 due to the spread of COVID-19. “Students undoubtedly come within 6 feet of one another at school and in the parking lot,” they said. They felt that the senior class works “diligently behind computer screens all day, dealing with technological issues in addition to a completely altered way of learning,” so the class deserves more traditional senior activities.“We know that this is a difficult situation,” they continued, “but we hope that a sense of understanding can be reached before we watch our entire senior year slip away.”
An alternate group of students sent another letter to the administration Monday in favor of the school’s warning against parties, condemning the emails sent in favor of senior activities. Again, it is unclear about how many anti-party emails were sent, but it seemed to come mainly from the senior class.
Since the events of Friday afternoon and evening, a petition has been made to “abolish EastonMoms”, a Facebook group that was created in order for the mothers of Easton to discuss things happening in the community, challenging the selfish nature of parents and students who might risk their health by throwing or attending parties.
As of right Monday night, over 900 people have signed the petition, and the numbers are still growing. People are re-posting the petition on their social media accounts, so it is bound to expand and get the attention of the group.
In addition to the emails and petitions, an Easton resident was on Kiss 108’s “Matty in the Morning” segment discussing the parties. Easton was referred to as “Party Central” by the hosts, and they talked about all of the surrounding towns and the schools that have closed due to parties.