Elementary schools in US banning tag/other chase games

[Dakata]

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/10/18/no.tag.ap/index.html
(It's kinda old (10-18-06), but who cares. )

ATTLEBORO, Massachusetts (AP) -- Tag, you're out!

Officials at an elementary school south of Boston have banned kids from playing tag, touch football and any other unsupervised chase game during recess for fear they'll get hurt and hold the school liable.

Recess is "a time when accidents can happen," said Willett Elementary School Principal Gaylene Heppe, who approved the ban.

While there is no districtwide ban on contact sports during recess, local rules have been cropping up. Several school administrators around Attleboro, a city of about 45,000 residents, took aim at dodgeball a few years ago, saying it was exclusionary and dangerous. [Video link edited out]

Elementary schools in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and Spokane, Washington, also recently banned tag during recess. A suburban Charleston, South Carolina, school outlawed all unsupervised contact sports.

"I think that it's unfortunate that kids' lives are micromanaged and there are social skills they'll never develop on their own," said Debbie Laferriere, who has two children at Willett, about 40 miles south of Boston. "Playing tag is just part of being a kid."

Another Willett parent, Celeste D'Elia, said her son feels safer because of the rule. "I've witnessed enough near collisions," she said.

[DigitalMan]

The utter stupidity mortifies me.

[Kenji]

Tag.... too dangerous...
Sigh... the day will come soon that people will send their children to school, covered in bubblewrap.
Our grandchildren's generation will be so weak, if you call em a dummy-head, you'll cause them to break down, and if you playfully punch em in the arm, you'll tear their muscles. Geez.... Just let kids grow already. Enough with the overlyprotective laws. These people are like fun nazi's 

[bill]

Has anyone ever read the book "Rash"? Funny as hell, but scary. Reminds me of this.

[Kasarn]

This article is about nothing

They are banning unsupervised games. So what?
My primary school never allowed that and nobody gave a fuck.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

*sigh*

You can protect kids, but this is going a bit far. I sortof prefer the way my own child has been growing. When he was much younger, he started eating dirt in the garden. "Oh, well. Either he'll stop, or he won't. Either way, his immune system will get stronger, and if he doesn't stop, we can use him to clean up the kitchen" was about the attitude his mother and I had.

He's now had his first week-long cold, after going to school. That's, first ever. He's also up about head and shoulders taller, and built to match, than anyone else in his class. And shows no signs of stopping, either.

I think we got it right.

[Alondro]

Even more similar to this surreal scenario:  Harrison Bergeron.  Read it.  Equality by achieving the lowest level possible for everyone.  And who can ensure it?  A super-elite that rules everyone with an iron fist, controlling every aspect of life and thought.  And it all starts with the focus on self-esteem over accomplishment.  Punish those who are stronger, smarter, and faster naturally.  Bring them down to the level of invalids so the unalthletic or average children won't feel bad or get bruises.  Meanwhile, the socialist elite will make sure you all stay that way and are unable to challenge their pseudo-Utopian paradise of 'equality'... by killing whoever tries to excell beyond the limitations they've imposed.

Again, read Harrison Bergeron.  Give me rugged individualism any day over that hell.

[Dakata]

This article is about nothing

They are banning unsupervised games. So what?
My primary school never allowed that and nobody gave a fuck.

Isn't the US like...the fattest country in the world or something?

All of 'dem chubby american children probably need that exercise.

[Zedd]

Tag.... too dangerous...
Sigh... the day will come soon that people will send their children to school, covered in bubblewrap.
Our grandchildren's generation will be so weak, if you call em a dummy-head, you'll cause them to break down, and if you playfully punch em in the arm, you'll tear their muscles. Geez.... Just let kids grow already. Enough with the overlyprotective laws. These people are like fun nazi's

Fun nazis indeed....I wonder want to ban duck duck duck goose next...What they afraid of scraped knees or something??? Getting bruises or cuts is the growing part of a childs life! It teaches them how prevent to have this problem again! 

[Kasarn]

This article is about nothing

They are banning unsupervised games. So what?
My primary school never allowed that and nobody gave a fuck.

Isn't the US like...the fattest country in the world or something?

All of 'dem chubby american children probably need that exercise.

It's not actually the school's job to keep kids in shape
It is, however, their job to make sure kids aren't injured

Schools have a duty of care and are easy targets for negligence cases.

[ITOS]

My school pays for an insurance that covers those sorts of things. Isn't it the some in the US?

[Aridas]

You know what hurts? FALLING OFF THE PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT. So stop whining about people getting hurt in a friggin game. Stupid schools. Anyone who gives ANYONE that much power to sue people (or something else like that) over kids' injuries from regular play is an idiot and looking for trouble. I BIT A HOLE IN MY LIP DURING A GAME OF CAPTURE THE FLAG when three people jumped on my head! Did my parents sue? Did I care? NO.

*hands out rubber knives* Let's stab peoples for taking away our childhoods one game at a time.

[Kasarn]

My school pays for an insurance that covers those sorts of things. Isn't it the some in the US?

Of course they would
And every time a kid is injured and insurance pays out the cost of that insurance increases

Schools try to keep costs to a minimum. If costs blow out then the school is closed and everybody loses.

[Kenji]

OMG, I got a papercut while doing my schoolwork! Better stop giving assignments or another child could be visciously harmed.

[RJ]

Yeah, I wrote about this in my LJ a couple weeks ago. I'm just angry. It's no wonder child obesity is becoming more of a problem- they're not even allowed to run around even more.

You know what hurts? FALLING OFF THE PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT.

I can tell you that back when I was younger, I was playing on one of those zip-line/flying-fox thingies when an older boy came up behind me and pushed me so hard that when I hit the end of the line, I fell off and landed on my back on the edge of the platform.

I was in pain for days >.<

[Kasarn]

OMG, I got a papercut while doing my schoolwork! Better stop giving assignments or another child could be visciously harmed.

I suggest you sit down and actually read your school rules sometime.
I know that's what we did when we were bored and we found all sorts of gems. The most common one that we'd talk about was the fact that rulers were banned.

Then we'd have a swordfights with them to point out how stupid the rule was.

[Kenji]

OMG, I got a papercut while doing my schoolwork! Better stop giving assignments or another child could be visciously harmed.

I suggest you sit down and actually read your school rules sometime.
I know that's what we did when we were bored and we found all sorts of gems. The most common one that we'd talk about was the fact that rulers were banned.

Then we'd have a swordfights with them to point out how stupid the rule was.

Just trying to get the point across that you can get hurt from anything. So you prevent Tag and Touch Football. That's not going to make anything safer. Why? Cause kids are masters at coming up with new games. Especially games involving running around for no reason, and smacking each other with things. It's all part of growing up.

Guess I didn't try hard enough, though... ah well.

[Dakata]

You know what hurts? FALLING OFF THE PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT.

I can tell you that back when I was younger, I was playing on one of those zip-line/flying-fox thingies when an older boy came up behind me and pushed me so hard that when I hit the end of the line, I fell off and landed on my back on the edge of the platform.

I was in pain for days >.<

I'm curious. What's a zip-line/flying-fox thingie?

And I still don't see how tag's dangerous. Sure, the kids can shove each other, but it won't hurt if they fall into some grass or something. Might hurt if they fall on the blacktop though. (And it'd hurt more if the kids played tag the way I used to...by glomping instead of touching. Heheh.)

[Kasarn]

Just trying to get the point across that you can get hurt from anything. So you prevent Tag and Touch Football. That's not going to make anything safer. Why? Cause kids are masters at coming up with new games. Especially games involving running around for no reason, and smacking each other with things. It's all part of growing up.

Guess I didn't try hard enough, though... ah well.

That's the whole idea of supervision

As an Australian, I honestly have no idea how US elementary schools work but at my schools we had well defined "in bounds" areas and two teachers wandering each of the five areas.
Anybody who was deliberately out of bounds or playing rough got a swift kick up the backside

[RJ]

You know what hurts? FALLING OFF THE PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT.

I can tell you that back when I was younger, I was playing on one of those zip-line/flying-fox thingies when an older boy came up behind me and pushed me so hard that when I hit the end of the line, I fell off and landed on my back on the edge of the platform.

I was in pain for days >.<

I'm curious. What's a zip-line/flying-fox thingie?

Um... You hang onto a little bar thing and then you can "fly" across.
   _____
_|^      |_

Kinda like that.

[ninjannihilator]

You know what hurts? FALLING OFF THE PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT.

I can tell you that back when I was younger, I was playing on one of those zip-line/flying-fox thingies when an older boy came up behind me and pushed me so hard that when I hit the end of the line, I fell off and landed on my back on the edge of the platform.

I was in pain for days >.<

I'm curious. What's a zip-line/flying-fox thingie?

And I still don't see how tag's dangerous. Sure, the kids can shove each other, but it won't hurt if they fall into some grass or something. Might hurt if they fall on the blacktop though. (And it'd hurt more if the kids played tag the way I used to...by glomping instead of touching. Heheh.)

Here is a picture

[Kenji]

Just trying to get the point across that you can get hurt from anything. So you prevent Tag and Touch Football. That's not going to make anything safer. Why? Cause kids are masters at coming up with new games. Especially games involving running around for no reason, and smacking each other with things. It's all part of growing up.

Guess I didn't try hard enough, though... ah well.

That's the whole idea of supervision

As an Australian, I honestly have no idea how US elementary schools work but at my schools we had well defined "in bounds" areas and two teachers wandering each of the five areas.
Anybody who was deliberately out of bounds or playing rough got a swift kick up the backside

Really. Cause at my schools, we got to do what the heck we wanted. Climb, run, swing, jump off of the play equipment. I don't recall ever that one of the kids got injured, other than maybe a few scrapes or a sore arm/leg. We even got to play near woods. And woods down south is full of ankle biters. o: That's the kinda recess I likes, mmhmm.

[Aisha deCabre]

Even more similar to this surreal scenario:  Harrison Bergeron.  Read it.  Equality by achieving the lowest level possible for everyone.  And who can ensure it?  A super-elite that rules everyone with an iron fist, controlling every aspect of life and thought.  And it all starts with the focus on self-esteem over accomplishment.  Punish those who are stronger, smarter, and faster naturally.  Bring them down to the level of invalids so the unalthletic or average children won't feel bad or get bruises.  Meanwhile, the socialist elite will make sure you all stay that way and are unable to challenge their pseudo-Utopian paradise of 'equality'... by killing whoever tries to excell beyond the limitations they've imposed.

Again, read Harrison Bergeron.  Give me rugged individualism any day over that hell.

I've read Harrison Bergeron...a scary concept, because it seems pretty real.  The more realistic scary scenario though could be in "Nineteen-Eighty-One", but that's just me.  I'd just hate to see society crumple that low.  Total and complete equality is just impossible to even think about, when it comes to the human mind...let alone try to do.  I say how we are now is dystopian enough as it is...

As for the banning games thing...utterly stupid.  I grew up in a VERY diverse elementary school.  We played tag, jump-rope, and four-square (a personal favorite of mine).  I fell a few times, yeah...but it's actually how kids learn to be careful, is by taking an action upon themselves.  Enforcing it beforehand just seems like one of those kid things where if it's a rule, you HAVE to break it.

That's just like what I heard about them thinking of banning recess altogether.   

[Mel Dragonkitty]

My nephew's school took away those hard red rubber balls and replaced them all with foam balls and gave dodgeball some stupid sicky sweet name like friendly ball or something. Pretty soon the kids, bored with the pallid little game they were supposed to be playing, took to throwing the balls at the pipes in the ceiling hard enough to wedge them up there then climbed the pipes to get them. So instead of getting their little adrenaline rush with only the risk of rubber burn and a bruise they are risking a broken neck. Brilliant.

[Zedd]

They make the flyfoxes/ziplines too low to the ground for my tastes

[Dakata]

Here is a picture
[PIC]

Oh. That. I've seen one of those before. The school was stupid and put one near a blacktop though. So yeah, it hurt like hell if you fell.

[Destina Faroda]

Okay, I can understand people's concern, and I don't necessarily agree with the decision, but isn't there a bit of an overreaction here?  I mean why is it that as soon as one school makes one decision, everyone begins to preach about "people aren't equal?"  Are you even realizing what you're saying when you say that?  You're saying that physical differences should be used as a means to discriminate.  The backlash is scarier than the actual ban.

This fear of "Big Brother" is going to take us back to the pre-civil rights movement ifwe're lucky, back to lifelong indentured servitude if we're not.

[RJ]

I just think kids should be kids. Let them run around and get bruises and get dirty if they want.

I've got this image in my head that 20 years time kids will be going to school looking like the Bubble Boy...

[Zedd]

Well thats a shocking image why people need to be shot in the nuts...

[Jim Halisstrad]

I just think kids should be kids. Let them run around and get bruises and get dirty if they want.

Agreed   I'd be such a simpering cry baby if growing up I never had recess.

And by recess I mean games of tag, climbing ridiculously high monkey bars, dodgeball, and other games with a little bit of risk to them.