Sign in to follow this  
Kor37

Elementary School Bans Tag

Recommended Posts

Not It! Elementary School Bans Tag

AP

ATTLEBORO, Mass. (Oct. 18) - 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.

 

Elementary schools in Cheyenne, Wyo., and Spokane, Wash., also recently banned tag during recess. A suburban Charleston, S.C., 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.

 

 

This is unbelievably stupid!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Headline should read:

 

America's schools slowly turning it's children into pussies.

Edited by Charface

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

... might as well say, "OK kids... the school is to afraid of losing money, so now you have no choice but to be fat."

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Anyone remember a day when playing Ninja Turtles or Power Rangers was the norm on the playground? Or when falling off the jungle gym was an occupational hazzard for kids at recess? Things keep going like this and no more gym and no more recess!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

When I was in school, teachers used recess as the time for all of us to run around and burn off energy. If we fell off the jungle gym and hurt ourselves, it was a bonus cause we now limped around :P

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

THis is ridiculous! What is next, no contact sports in school at all? I think this is really going too far, so kids are now not allowed to be kids anymore.

 

Bumps, bruises, scrapes and cuts are all part of growing up and getting accustomed to the world we live in. If they are soooo afraid that a game of tag is going to POSSIBLY hurt someone, why do they not supply the children a bubble to walk around in or at least wrap the kids in pillows and duct tape them on like a suit of fluffy, downy armor? :P :P

 

You know what this does to me? It makes me ABSOLUTELY glad I lived in the time I did. I am glad I grew up in the 80's where it was still ok to play like a normal child.

 

And I (outside of gymnastics, that is) had the common injuries of a kid. Fell backside first out of a tree, spun out on my bike and took a ton of skin off my hip and thigh, bicycling again my sister bumped into me and we crashed into opposite ditches (she with her injuries, me with a patch of skin gone off mt hand & knee), etc. etc. etc. Got my hairclip embedded into my head, because I forgot it was there(thought I had a regular hair band in) and attempted to bounce a playground ball off my head. That happened at home, but it just as easily could have happened at school. Slid down a dirt mound, but did not see the sharp piece of mud covered branch in it... when I tried to stand up I was in pain, I had a huge & wide cut from my hip down to nearly my ankle.

 

I jammed my finger when I ran into a pole in school, I was running in the playground and tripped. Did my parents sue? NO, and why did they not do that? Because I was playing a game and like kids do, I was clumsy. And what I listed is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to my childhood accidents.

 

Yes, a lot of what I used as examples were outside of the school. But any of those could happen on a field trip or on a school playground. And at the rate they are going it seems like soon there will be NO kids playing on playgrounds in towns, because after all they might fall down and sue the city or the county for putting a playground up.

 

Now I can see trouble being stirred up if one child forces an injury on another...but that does not sound like why they are taking kids games away.

 

I could rant on like this for a while, but I will leave it at this. I have seen my share of playground accidents, both growing up & as a gymnastics coach, including ones that left bloody noses, cuts, black eyes and welts. But unless one kid deliberately injured another, I at no time saw it as a reason for a parent to sue.

 

Oh, and...............

 

 

 

 

 

Tag YOU'RE it :P :P

 

What the heck are they going to do during P.E.? Sewing?

 

If the school is worried about unsupervised games then why not HIRE MORE SUPERVISORS?

uhhh, NOOOO can't do that Lt Van Roy!!! THey might accidentally stab their fingers on the needles and might have their parents sue the school

Edited by Yillara_Skye

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Remember when they were gonna ban Tag because it "could have an adverse effect on kids' self-esteem"? yeeeeeeeeahhhhh..

 

Next they'll ban "Red Rover" because only popular kids will be called, and self-esteem hurt again.

 

Man, I remember having old tractor tires buried in dirt and playing "Tire Tag". Then, it would have been called "recycling at work." Now, it'd be called "environmental hazard."

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

This is unbelievably stupid!

 

Wow...that's twice we've managed to agree. Is it possible that Kor is turning into a Liberal?

 

:P

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Yes, it is unfortunate but blame all the Americans who sue the public school system at every whim.

 

People like to blame lawyers, or the court system etc. but in truth it agains lies in the fact that we have too many Americans that think they have the right to get rich at somebody else's expense. We have too many Americans that don't seem to understand the "government" federal, state or county is not an independent entity with it's own cash source. When people sue the government they are sueing their neighbors.

 

This is another reason it would be helpful for schools to be privatized and for parents to have a greater participation in the school - you're less likely to sue (it would still happen) if deep government pockets were not involved and if people felt a personal involvement or responsibility for the school.

 

I am trying to remember my elementary school and I know we had structured (supervised) activities but I can't remember if we had unstructured recess or not - I think we did but I can't remember.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

At my elementary school, we were pretty much allowed to have fun. There were teachers and Playground monitors there, and the recess area was divided in half by grade: 1-3 on one side, 4-6 (later 5th) on the other.

I remember one girl in my brother's class fell off the jungle gym and had to be taken out on a stretcher. Her parents didn't sue the school. Now, I have to make sure I say the precisely right thing or else I get sued. Being a teacher today is harder than it was for the teachers who inspired me.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Yes, it is unfortunate but blame all the Americans who sue the public school system at every whim.

 

People like to blame lawyers, or the court system etc. but in truth it agains lies in the fact that we have too many Americans that think they have the right to get rich at somebody else's expense. We have too many Americans that don't seem to understand the "government" federal, state or county is not an independent entity with it's own cash source. When people sue the government they are sueing their neighbors.

 

This is another reason it would be helpful for schools to be privatized and for parents to have a greater participation in the school - you're less likely to sue (it would still happen) if deep government pockets were not involved and if people felt a personal involvement or responsibility for the school.

 

I am trying to remember my elementary school and I know we had structured (supervised) activities but I can't remember if we had unstructured recess or not - I think we did but I can't remember.

 

I cannot agree that all schools should go private. What about people who can't afford a private school...like, say, 80% of Americans????

 

The solution is to admit the problem (no $$$$ in the public school system) and then simply fix it. Hire more teachers so that they can shrink class-rooms and pay them more so that the field will attract people of better quality. Would you want a brain surgeon working on you that earned minimum wage? think about it.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I agree that most students cannot go to private schools because of the tuition. Another thing that should happen is that the teacher's union should be abolished. That union has absolutely no concern for the kids and just like most unions, is only interested in getting money for themselves.

 

We have a schmuck of a Mayor here in Baltimore. He's running for Governor now and he will probably win because he's a Democrat and this is a Democratic state. His ads state how under his watch, students grades have risen. What he doesn't say is that he lowered the minimum grade for passing. He's a master at fudging statistics. He did the same for the crime figures. Crime is at an all-time high here but his figures show it has dropped because he manipulates the stats.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

WHAT! Wow this is the single stupidest thing I've seen happen with the shcool system thus far and I've seen some pretty wnky stuff go on. I totally agree with Skye when it comes to bumps and bruises being part of childhood. Playing is natural for a child to do; it helps them learn, not just in school but basic skills that are engrained within the human psyche from the begins of the race. You know, chase and stuff? Those games in anceint cultures were used to test one another- who was the best runner? The best jumper? The best anything.

I can't count the number of times I was flat out run over when I played football with the peewee guys in elementary school, or the times I fell flat out on my face from the monkey bars. And you know what? My mom and dad didn't care because they'd ask me where I got it, tell me to go wash it out, kiss to make it better and tell me to go have fun because I needed to be a kid while I still had the time.

Kids deserve-need to be kids! :rawr:

*End rant*

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I agree that most students cannot go to private schools because of the tuition. Another thing that should happen is that the teacher's union should be abolished. That union has absolutely no concern for the kids and just like most unions, is only interested in getting money for themselves.

 

We have a schmuck of a Mayor here in Baltimore. He's running for Governor now and he will probably win because he's a Democrat and this is a Democratic state. His ads state how under his watch, students grades have risen. What he doesn't say is that he lowered the minimum grade for passing. He's a master at fudging statistics. He did the same for the crime figures. Crime is at an all-time high here but his figures show it has dropped because he manipulates the stats.

 

 

All I have to say, is if I am elected Governor, I'll raise the goldurned standards, and parents, if your kids fail, maybe you should actually get involved. And, of course, re-instate tag as the "Official" game of elementary school playgrounds!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I think Krissy should move to Maryland and run for Governor!..But you better hurry. The election is in 2 weeks!..... :P

Edited by Kor37

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I agree that most students cannot go to private schools because of the tuition. Another thing that should happen is that the teacher's union should be abolished. That union has absolutely no concern for the kids and just like most unions, is only interested in getting money for themselves.

 

 

I think this is terrible idea. Teachers are already earning little given their responsibilities. Here in Stockton (and from what I hear, most of the country) teachers are expected often to supply students with pencils & pens out of their own pay. Any project a teacher might want to engage students in is likewise paid for out of the teachers pocket. Again- when we look at other countries we begin to see that what we put into our education system is very small when compared to Britain, France, Germany, Japan, or even South Korea. Kids in Mississippi have literacy that is comparable to some third world countries.

 

Bottomline-You get what you pay for!!!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I agree that most students cannot go to private schools because of the tuition. Another thing that should happen is that the teacher's union should be abolished. That union has absolutely no concern for the kids and just like most unions, is only interested in getting money for themselves.

 

 

I think this is terrible idea. Teachers are already earning little given their responsibilities. Here in Stockton (and from what I hear, most of the country) teachers are expected often to supply students with pencils & pens out of their own pay. Any project a teacher might want to engage students in is likewise paid for out of the teachers pocket. Again- when we look at other countries we begin to see that what we put into our education system is very small when compared to Britain, France, Germany, Japan, or even South Korea. Kids in Mississippi have literacy that is comparable to some third world countries.

 

Bottomline-You get what you pay for!!!

 

I wasn't talking about teacher's pay. I was talking about the teacher's union. I firmly believe that teachers should be among the highest paid members of our society. But I also believe that they must get the job done. There are way too many unqualified teachers out there that are in their job because of the union.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
Sign in to follow this