Oct 9, 2013 1 min read

LANSDALE (AP) – Officials at a suburban Philadelphia elementary school have decided to cancel a Halloween parade and other Halloween celebrations, citing a ban on promoting religious beliefs.

WPVI-TV says parents received a letter from the principal at Inglewood Elementary School in Lansdale on Tuesday.

The letter said parents were told that holidays like Halloween are seen by some as secular and viewed by others as having religious overtones.

But it said school districts are barred from promoting religious beliefs, and while they can teach about religious and cultural practices, they cannot sponsor them.