Iowa School District Ends Valentine’s Day Celebrations

Remember back in elementary school when you used to make Valentine's Day boxes? You'd go to the store and pick out valentines with your favorite characters on them and then hand them out to your friends at school. That tradition has ended for one Iowa school district.

Waukee Community School District is no longer celebrating Valentine's Day. The call was made after school officials got input from the community and educators. According to WHOTV, school officials received feedback showing that fewer families in that area were celebrating the holiday and that it was extremely time consuming for the staff to help students with their decorating.

Despite cutting the holiday, the district says that they still plan to celebrate the idea behind it--love. The district will host "Give Love" parties in the spring where students can "have fun with classmates and engage in activities that promote acts of kindness and giving love on a broader spectrum."

Our motto in Waukee is 'give love.' And, we've had that model for three years," Waukee CSD Communications Director Amy Varcoe said. "And so a lot of what will happen in our buildings on that day are cards for retirement communities, our law enforcement police, fire, military and teaching our students how to give back in a big way."- WHOTV

Classmates exchanging cards and candy may be over, but at least the idea of kindness and love is still being celebrated.