Halloween has long been a holiday associated with witches and ghosts but U.S. schools are encouraging students and parents to select life-affirming costumes.

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In Plainfield, Ill., School District 202 suggests animals, although claws are out, or vegetables, The New York Times reported. District officials endorse carrot and pumpkin costumes.

"We're balancing a tradition here with the times we live in," said Tom Hernandez, a district spokesman.

Across the country, children who select pirate costumes can forget about swords or daggers, even ones with rubber blades. The Walt Disney Elementary School in Burbank, Calif., named after the man who gave the world the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, bans fake or real weapons.

Parents of children at the Riverside Drive school in Los Angeles got memos laying out the rules. They include no costumes with gang paraphernalia, no horror movie costumes, no weapons of any kind and nothing demeaning any groups. Students are also required to wear shoes.