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School Bans 'Tag'
Posted by
CmdrTaco
on Wed Oct 18, 2006 11:49 AM
from the sorry-fun-has-been-cancelled dept.
from the sorry-fun-has-been-cancelled dept.
GillBates0 writes "CNN is carrying a story about a school in Boston which has 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. According to the article, some elementary schools in other states have similarly banned "unsupervised contact sports". A parent was quoted as saying that her son feels safer now and that she'd witnessed enough 'near collisions.'" See, it's not just dangerous virtual games that are harmful to children!
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Simple Child Care (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Simple Child Care (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
Re:Simple Child Care (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
Re:Simple Child Care (Score:5, Funny)
How do you think we get goth kids?
Parent
Re:Simple Child Care (Score:5, Insightful)
Parent
Re:Simple Child Care (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
WTF? (Score:5, Insightful)
Kids are very simple life forms, they don't have a firm grasp of logic and hence do stupid things which get them hurt. This is a basic fact of life and if you repress it you make adults who do the same because they never learnt any better.
How the hell can any school know so little about children but have them for so long..
Re:WTF? (Score:5, Insightful)
Parent
Re:WTF? (Score:5, Insightful)
If a child goes through life placidly believing what their parents tell them, as good as the advice may be, that child is going to grow up to be a worker bee, not challenging authority, just following orders. Kids need to learn to push boundaries, that is the only way they are going to get ahead.
Parent
Re:WTF? (Score:5, Insightful)
Parent
Re:WTF? (Score:5, Insightful)
Parent
Re:WTF? (Score:5, Insightful)
Parent
Hmm. (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Hmm. (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
This isn't really new (Score:5, Funny)
Free country, my ass! (Score:5, Insightful)
Oh gods.... (Score:5, Insightful)
Attleboro, MA <> Boston, MA (Score:5, Informative)
We'd reach new heights of absurdity... (Score:5, Funny)
Not the sport, the spray (Score:5, Funny)
I hate to make gender-based.. (Score:5, Interesting)
Those kids tend to have less certain notions of what's possible, what isn't, and what's just plain stupid. Some of those kids certainly got it in the nature-equation - meaning those parents may, in fact, have some reason to be fearful. Plenty of other kids are developing much shallower skills with respect to falling and not falling.
So, to wrap up with another generalization, it's more likely a mother would feel relieved at this ridiculous development than a father.
A Modest Proposal . . . (Score:5, Funny)
Not only is this a brilliant idea from a liability standpoint, preventing children from engaging in these sorts of dangerous games can reduce bruising and other possible damage during their critical growth period.
I propose that schoolchildren not be allowed to move at all. They should be hung via sturdy cloth from the ceiling, thus immobilized, and fed heartily whilst at school. I have been assured by a very knowing gentleman of my acquaintance in Boston, that a young healthy schoolchild well-fed is at elementary school age a most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled . . .
hello overreaction (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm talking about the millions of people who will view the acts of a few schools around the country as the downfall of American society.
The problem these schools are seeking to resolve is this: They have all the responsibility for what happens to your little angel/monster but none of the parental immunity that comes with it.
Little Susie gets hurt playing a neighborhood game of tag. Nobody sues her parents. If little Susie gets hurt playing a school yard game of tag. The parents can sue the school.
The parents might not win, but who wants to be sued for something that can be avoided?
P.S. The difference between PE & recess is that you usually have to sign a waiver f liability for athletics.
Can't normal people get on with their lives? (Score:5, Insightful)
As is often the case, the majority of average, decent, middle of the road parents/children are dealing with the consequences of vocal extremes. On one hand, we have unsupervised kids causing all sorts of problems, and resulting zero-tolerence policies in schools where even a minor, accidental infraction can cause a serious interruption in the education even of a model student. On the other hand, we have over-supervised kids whos parents live in so much fear for their child that neither that kid nor their classmates can act like children are supposed to act.
A normal child with decent parents will take some bumps and bruises as he/she grows up, and will end up stronger for it. While getting hurt is not pleasant, it's often an excellent learning experience. You learn that not only will certain things result in pain, but also that bad things are going to happen in your life, and you need to learn to cope with it. Denying a child the chance to learn such things is not good parenting.
Homeschool ..... (Score:5, Insightful)