Is Valentine's Day Non-Inclusive?

Should elementary school students receive valentines? 

Every February 14th, kids of all ages prepare treats for their classmates acknowledging a day known for spreading love among different relationships. 

In past years, students would bring enough valentines for each of their classmates to spread joy and build stronger bonds within the classroom. This year, many would expect the heartwarming tradition to continue, but as schools develop DEIJ (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice) committees for their districts, it adds questions about equity during these holiday seasons. 

Upon the founding of DEIJ initiatives, teachers were asked to embrace all holidays to make all students feel welcome. For example, in past years teachers would go all out decorating their classrooms with Christmas trees and candy canes for the class to enjoy, but in recent years districts have put an end to the uninclusive celebration to allow more opportunities for kids of all beliefs to feel welcome. 

On the surface, Valentine’s Day in schools is just a day to bring in goodies for the class and spread kindness among young peers, but the controversy surrounding the holiday goes deeper than that. Some families cannot afford to spend any extra money on valentines for their kids. Imagine a child comes home asking their guardian to buy some valentines for their class, but the guardian just cannot seem to cut out any extra from their wallet. This scenario is the biggest concern for elementary school staff. Another question could be whether some students will receive more valentines than others, but this issue was addressed long ago when the system of everyone bringing in enough valentines for the whole class. 

The nostalgic memories of opening up a small paper bag on Valentine’s Day filled with all the toys and treats gifted by peers is something that people can relate to, leading to disappointment when families hear that some schools will no longer continue the valued tradition. Schools are trying to steer away from it being a day of giving valentines brought from home and focus more on friendship-building activities within the classroom with resources provided by the school. 

Valentine’s Day continues to be a favored holiday by students, but as it starts to look different what will reactions be? If schools start to take away the tradition, how will the young kids feel? There are ways to continue the tradition of giving valentines while still being cautious of all families’ financial positions. If schools supply extra fun-size candies for teachers to give to the students who couldn't bring in valentines, then each kid will still receive just as many valentines without worrying about how it's impacting families in need. 

What do you think? Is Valentine's Day a burden for some elementary school families who are trying to get by? Or should giving young students memories they will keep forever be the priority, with some alteration to fit everyone's needs? Either way, the day is happily celebrated around the globe bringing together all levels of students through friendship and candy. This heartwarming holiday tradition definitely should be continued into high school.