TUSTIN : School District Has Treat for Children

More than 800 kindergarten pupils received a Halloween treat from the Tustin Unified School District to get them off to a safe start for Halloween.

The pupils were given a black-and-orange brochure illustrated with spooks, haunted houses and children carving pumpkins with a message on how to “Trick or Treat--Without Trouble,” said Mark Eliot, spokesman for the district.

“Halloween is a fun time, and they get real excited,” Eliot said. He designed the brochure for the children because they are new to the district and the schools want to get them off to a good start.

The pamphlet is printed in large type in a language young children can understand, Eliot said. “It is designed for children and their parents to read together and discuss.”

Without frightening the youngsters, the brochure tells them “not everybody gives treats. Some people play tricks, not fun tricks but nasty tricks that can hurt people. Be sure nobody plays a nasty trick on you.”

The pamphlet tells children they can avoid this by going with their parents to houses with lights on, trick or treating only in their own neighborhoods and letting their parents check their candy before eating it.

To help children have a “frightfully good time,” it also recommends trick or treaters wear face paints instead of face masks so they can see better, dress in light-colored clothing so they can be seen and wear loose clothing so they can move quickly and easily.