Trick or Treat

Today is Halloween.  As a result, attendance in my classes, and the school in general, was off over 50%.  Why?  One reason is that, as shared with me by parents at parent-teacher conferences, some don't feel their child will be safe outside on this day.  Who am I to tell them their fear is unfounded?  I don't live in the central Bronx, they do.  One student even suggested that I exit the school through the rear entrance today to avoid any random violence directed at people leaving the building.  Other students seem to feel that Halloween is an unofficial holiday for which attendance is optional.  Just another day in which students who desperately need educating did not get it.  When school reformers look to the reasons why inner city schools are "failing," they would do well, instead of seeking the one answer,  to add up all the small missed opportunities.