Trick-or-treaters aren’t exactly in for a treat this Halloween
as a wet weekend looms on the horizon.
Trick-or-treaters aren’t exactly in for a treat this Halloween as a wet weekend looms on the horizon.
Thursday ushered in a week-long stretch of dreary weather forecasters predict will dump an inch or more on the thirsty Santa Clara Valley. With highs in the 60s, lows in the 50s and high-40s, strong winds and heavy rains expected for the next few days, children may have to spend a weekend cooped up in the house.
Meanwhile, public school students have today off for a teacher work day. School district administrators planned the staff development day for midway through the semester so that teachers can prepare for parent-teacher conferences at the elementary and middle schools, said Kim Filice, director of human resources. The teacher work day often falls on Halloween, she said.
Although Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services Basha Millhollen said that Halloween isn’t usually a problem, in terms of discipline, Gilroy High School Principal James Maxwell said that if he was the one making the decision, he also would have voted for no school on Halloween, he said.
“The kids are squirrely,” he said. “Better out there than in here. Anything to make the discipline easier at the high school.”
Millhollen said the day after Halloween is always more of a challenge when the children come to school after staying out late the night before and filling up on candy.
To deal with the mischief characteristic of All Hallows Eve, police will be out in force, said Sgt. Jim Gillio. The Anti-Crime Team will be in suppression mode to patrol the streets, he said.
“We’re not expecting any significant issues but we are staffing our patrol forces to the maximum level for the safety of our community,” Sgt. John Sheedy said.
Gillio didn’t know if the long weekend would make a difference in terms of petty crimes but said that the department will be ready for the usual tricks that come along with the holiday.
“There’s a lot of people out there being pranksters,” he said. “We usually see lower level vandalism, more pedestrian traffic and definitely the party calls go up as well.”
Though the past few years have been pretty mild, police wanted to remind motorists to drive slowly in rainy weather and be on the lookout for costumed children traipsing from home to home at the start of the long, wet weekend.
