School bans tag, other recess games
by Ross Miller 
{ Oct 18th 2006 at 1:25PM }
Citing fear that students will get hurt and sue, an elementary school south of Boston has banned tag, touch football, and all other "chase games" from the playground. Students should also be advised to take caution when racing one another; should one student take the lead it might be observed that the other students are merely "chasing" first place. To alleviate confusion, all students should run in straight lines and finish each race in a virtual tie.Even though 40% of every Joystiq writer's childhood was wasted on video games, we can't help but look back fondly on games where we would run around in circles smacking one another until we grew tired or our parents called us in for dinner. This incident is just part of a growing trend. Restricting a child's choices for recess will impede on their desire to actually enjoy physical activity and increase the chances of obesity, perpetuating an already-growing problem in America. And guess which popular entertainment medium will be faulted for the overweight adolescents?
Next time: basketball, hopscotch, and all other "jump games" are banned from schoolyards everywhere, citing fear that children with no balance will fall down and skin their knees.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Snurp @ Oct 18th 2006 1:29PM
People complain that kids are getting fat, and then people get rid of the major forms of exercise for kids?
DDR in school may be mankind's only hope.
James @ Oct 18th 2006 1:33PM
This isn't new, when i was in elementary school 6 years ago, they banned recess games due to fear of lawsuits.
joe smith @ Oct 18th 2006 1:45PM
My god. Why not jsut wrap them in bubble wrap and tie them to their chairs? When I think of the games we played when I was a kid... bb gun war in the woods anyone?
ZaBlanc @ Oct 18th 2006 1:35PM
This is obviously not a "freedom" issue, it's a fiscal one. Suing a school because a kid got hurt because (A) they fell, (B) another student hit them, or (C) anything else -- just means that either schools are too fraudulent (no way) or we need to start getting our law system in check.
There is just way too much risk for companies and governments these days. It needs to be addressed. And I don't mean medical corps not being sued for bad drugs -- I mean stupid lawsuits without merit that, whether a verdict is made or not, cost regular families their life savings.
Agent MOO @ Oct 18th 2006 1:38PM
Kids are supposed to get some scrapes and bruises. The legal system is raising a generation of wusses.
SaraAB87 @ Oct 18th 2006 1:51PM
Its amazing how much different schools are nowdays i am finding out, when i was a kid we played dodgeball/warball, now that game is banned from most schools from what i have heard, and i didnt even know about it for a long time.
The first poster is right, we complain about kids getting fat yet recess time gets shorter and shorter and games are taken away from recess time, what are kids supposed to do during recess now, their homework??
nalgae @ Oct 18th 2006 6:51PM
can't the school just make the parents sign a waiver so they can't sue the school for injuries occured during recess?
logikil @ Oct 18th 2006 1:45PM
And so the downfall of America begins.
No better way to bring down a society then to turn their children into pussies. For christ's sake, everything in the world that used to make kids kids is now too dangerous. You can't have metal playground equipment because someone might get hurt. Heaven forbid your child get bored in class, they must have ADHD or whatever the hell they call it. GIVE THEM RIDILIN!!
I recall breaking my wrist in elementary school from jumping off the swings for distance, and my parents first thought wasn't to sue the school but to tell me how stupid i was (jokingly of course.) And damned if having that cast wasn't the coolest thing.
Any let kids be kids. Let them get hurt. If you don't learn at a young age what is good and bad for you it's going to be worse when you grow older.
Grindstone @ Oct 18th 2006 1:53PM
"Even though 40% of every Joystiq writer's childhood was wasted on video games,"
Pfft. Speak for yourself, I was busy building treeforts and playing "guns". My gaming days didn't pick up until my 20's -- college.
As it were, I agree that we are raising a generation of wusses. The majority of my childhood revolved around skinned knees and bruises. We didn't sue anyone, you got up, checked for bleeding, and kept pursuing (albeit tag or whatever). Of course, now that I work at a lawfirm, I can tell you that anyone will sue for anything. We all need to get our LCDtv's somehow...
Spilt_Milk @ Oct 18th 2006 1:48PM
We are producing weak sheep whoes only purpose is to consume.
From pain comes progress. We are killing our society.
Zertoss @ Oct 18th 2006 1:52PM
@7
We used pecans and slingshots, because we couldn't afford BB guns. And we didn't wear any kind of protective gear either! Every now and then someone would try and sneak in a jawbreaker as ammo. Those things (especially Gobstoppers) really hurt.
We'd come home with huge bruises and subsequently get our asses spanked for being so reckless. Good times. :)
So anyway, if tag is gone, I suppose Dodgeball is the next logical step if it isn't gone already. I can see this cranking out an entire generation of Jimmies (Ed, Edd, and Eddy).
Agent MOO @ Oct 18th 2006 1:52PM
#5, If that were the case, you'd have the cool kids having fun on the playground, and the group of kids stuck indoors because their parents are overprotective jerks.
Suing shouldn't even be an option, kids get hurt on their own, it is a part of life and not anyone's fault. If there was a situation where say, a teacher left something dangerous out like a gun and a kid found it, it would be the teacher's fault, and police would arrest and try him/her. But suing schools needs to stop, this takes away from both the children, who lose resources, and all the money wasted by taxpayers (which includes single people)...
reguy @ Oct 18th 2006 1:55PM
@ logikil
damn, i was just about to say that but you beat me to it
good stuff. i mean add this to the news we get everyday and we are raising kids that are afraid of everything.
thats why when i have kids i'll make sure to beat the sh!t out of them everyday just to make sure they are tough. they can sue me if they wish.
but i'll make sure to bitch slap them when they call their atty because obviously i didnt make them tough enuf =)
NATO_Duke @ Oct 18th 2006 1:59PM
Even though I'm a law student, I think the laws for tort liability are destroying people's ability to live and experience life at its best. Once you finish your tort I class you walk outside and realize that everything is a lawsuit waiting to happen. You are always scared that the bump against a person on a subway will get you sued for a soft tissue injury. Then you get licensed and start advising everyone to not do anything that could get them sued - like allowing tag, running, dodge ball, walking, eating, etc.
Caps on liability seem to be the only way to normalize things a bit. Judges shouldn't be allowing so many lame suits to get to a jury either. *end small rant*
birdman @ Oct 18th 2006 1:59PM
@1
Your right... DDR may perhaps be america's last hope but then what happens if a student pulls a hamstring or slips because someone spilled water on it right before? How about all americans must stay at home, do nothing, say nothing, and look at no one to prevent anything offensive from happening.
I can understand wall-dodge ball where people line up on the wall and try to dodge a ball from busting their brains from the side of the wall to be banned but this is just ridiculous. Well, at least we can still say whatever the hell we want in this country without getting sued right? oh wait... nm....
Blizz419 @ Oct 18th 2006 2:02PM
WTF thats dumb and its in my own hometown, weird how i found this out on joystiq first of all places this is very retarded. i should go slap the school board around.
Onomah @ Oct 18th 2006 2:04PM
Yar! When I was a kid we shot at each other with real guns. I don't recall hearing anyone complaining, at least not for long, the complainers were shot...
Also we jumped off buildings just for the heck of it, it didn't do us any lasting harm.
seriosly though what the heck is this? No tag? What's next, no running? not rock paper scissers? No staring contests? No flaming chainsaw juggling? what are we coming to that we have to regulate everything to such an extent. Besides, kids heal quickly, a broken leg from tag related slaughter only lasts a week or two.
jayntampa @ Oct 18th 2006 2:06PM
The school system also recommends that children stay in bed for fear they may stub toes upon exiting. The school system has set up a special toll-free number for parents interested in purchasing plastic bubbles for their children to live in, in order to create a more safe, hospitable environment.
birdman @ Oct 18th 2006 2:06PM
@ NATO_Duke
THANK YOU! I have always wanted to hear either a law student or a lawyer agree on that. I once got sued for donating my time for someone and the lawyer said something about there not being any contracts and I did wrong but then I eventually won. The point of that story is that even when americans try to help out they risk being sued and it is scary. I remember as a kid if i did something bad i would get spanked and i would never do it again. Or when I went to school and got hurt I would take it like any other kid and tough it out. I got hit in the eye with a hockey stick at school and bled like crazy yet I continued to play the game during the next recess and the game was not banned. Now your telling me that a simple game like Tag is banned? This is getting ridiculous...
Whitster @ Oct 18th 2006 2:11PM
You crazy Americans. I hope beyond all hope that such a law never passes over here in the UK.
Back in school I remember them banning British Bulldogs but with hindsight that was probably a good idea seeing as on most occasions it turned nasty.
raquor @ Oct 18th 2006 2:13PM
What about when little Jimmy get's stabbed with a pencil? will you be banning Pencils? Same thing for pens, being hit with laptops, falling over in a desk. This is getting out of hand. OH NOES, hands can hurt them too! take them away or wrap them in bubblewrap quickly Wilson!
minus_273 @ Oct 18th 2006 2:27PM
"4. Kids are supposed to get some scrapes and bruises. The legal system is raising a generation of wusses."
This is MA, the gay state, we are the only state with gay marriage. I think that is saying enough.
xx/eyes @ Oct 18th 2006 2:26PM
Whitster: I was the king of British Bulldog, and Red Rover for that matter. Great games. I remember them getting banned, along with everything else remotely fun at recess in my elementary school in Ontario, Canada. It all started with these ropes high in the trees...a kid fell out of them and died, so they took them down. That, of course was justified. However, next, they cut down our forest because we were all building forts and having snowball wars. Then they took out the thether ball because kids were getting hurt...
Jason @ Oct 18th 2006 2:27PM
When I was in elementry school, 16 or so years ago, I actually got in trouble for running on the playground! I think that was the only time I was sent to the principals office. I didn't understand it at the time, and I still don't know. As all of you already stated good points, I just thought I would share my experience with this.
Thad @ Oct 18th 2006 2:35PM
..."Balling"?
I'm pretty sure that's NEVER been allowed on campus.
RobertP @ Oct 18th 2006 2:33PM
@20
It's not a law but it is crazy if schools are deciding to ban such old and common activities. Yeah tag can get nuts, I'll admit it, but that's why you have lunch ladies and teachers that are supposed to watch the kids. If they get hurt you take 'em to the nurse and quite honestly that should be the end of it unless it's serious. And if it IS serious then I have to wonder what the heck is around that school. I mean if there are rusty bayonets on the ground that's the only way I can see getting a very serious injury that would be viably sueable.
Whitster @ Oct 18th 2006 2:37PM
@ xx/eyes: Never played Red Rover but a quick look on Wikipedia makes it sound pretty fun. I remember in our school when British Bulldogs got banned we tricked the dinner ladies by adding a few more people as the bulldogs and just playing the lenght rather than width of the playground.
Wreckhart @ Oct 18th 2006 2:44PM
Just cancel all recess and just buy a bunch of PS2's and several copies of Bully and let the kids go to town. Survival of the fittest is what i always say.
Eggman @ Oct 18th 2006 2:48PM
"all other "chase games" from the playground"
WTF? That could constitute for 99% of all games ever thought up. Soccer, hockey, football, heck even baseball/softball can have chasing.
I'm gonna agree with 100% of the other comments here, this is insane. THIS is whats fuked up about the american legal system. Anyone can sue over the most stupidest shit. Fuck, this sounds so retarded I can't even imagine anyone following this rule.
This reminds me of that retarded law suit with mcdonals where some fat kid and his parents sued because the kid got obese eating mcdonalds EVERY FUKING DAY.
Zell @ Oct 18th 2006 2:48PM
Unheard of when I was growing up. I had my head cracked open once during a game of cowboys and indians when I was about 6. Three stitches. I don't even remember my mom being pissed at the school.
The hell is happening to the world? Are we seriously moving towards a brave new [sterile] world, and so willingly? This is truly depressing and I doubt it'll stop at just one school though.
"No, Billy, you can't go outside. Go play your Xbox 360."
Toast1185 @ Oct 18th 2006 2:49PM
@James
Same here, Back in my day, (elementary school must have been 10 years + ago) we couldn't play tag or football. It seemed to make sense though, we played tackle and a couple of kids broke their arms. We played tag and people kept smashing their heads into play ground equipment. They nerfed the equipment, but still little kids just have too much energy. There isn't enough supervision out there to keep kids safe.
xdrewfacex @ Oct 18th 2006 2:49PM
oh my god. part of being a kid is getting hurt running around outside. if someone even thought about suing a school because their kid got hurt playing tag should not be a parent.
matrixfusion @ Oct 24th 2006 3:10PM
PLAYTIME IS DANGER-TIME
SMILES ARE TOOLS OF TERROR
HAPPINESS IS A WEAPON OF MASS DESTRUCTION
FUN IS FORBIDDEN!
FUN IS FORBIDDEN!
FUN IS FORBIDDEN!
riskbreaker @ Oct 18th 2006 2:58PM
that is the stupidest thing i have ever heard. there must be some mentally challenged people making laws in that part of the country. TAG! your arrested.
Kaemon @ Oct 18th 2006 2:58PM
Time for a super condenced version of a conversation about what they will do next to 'protect' the children.
It's attleboro, which is ten minutes south of me.
orly
Ya Rly.
Thats retarded
Yeah.
'CHILDREN, FROM NOW ON, YOU CANT USE FORKS, THEY MIGHT HURT YOU. HERE, USE THIS DULL SPOON TO CUT THAT MEAT"
"ITS MADE OF WOOD :3"
Koneko. No wood. They could get splinters
Grath, how about a soft plastic then
They could choke on that
hmm
Well then
For that matter, they could choke on FOOD
They can just use their hands
NO FOOD FOR THEM
ONLY LIQUID
THEY COULD DROWN AND THEY COULD ALSO FALL WHILE WALKING
THEY COULD BITE THEIR OWN TOUNGES AND PASS OUT FROM THE PAIN, THEN FALL DOWN ONTO A CARPET FLOOR, HIT THEIR HEADS AND EXPLOAD, KILLING HUNDREDS.
CHILDREN ARE BANNED YOU CANT MAKE CHILDREN
WHAT ABOUT ADULTS WHO ARE RETARTED?
SEX CAN CAUSE CHILDREN THATS BANNED
PEOPLE ARE MADE AFTER PEOPLE HAVE SEX PEOPLE ARE BANNED
LIFE IS BANNED
:3 THE GOVERNMENT WORKS
XD
Thats what i love about this channel.
ONLY PEOPLE SPEAK, PEOPLE ARE BANNED, YOU CANNOT SPEAK, STFU NEITO.
OH GREAT, YOU MADE ME SPEAK
:<
In other news, I smashed myself all the time back in elemetry school, never came across my parents mind to sue.
Kaemon @ Oct 18th 2006 3:00PM
and in other news, this screwed up my last comment, thats a conversation between 3 people.
Cynders @ Oct 18th 2006 3:05PM
Okay then, I'm waiting for the lawsuit wherein the parents claim that their children are overweight due to not being allowed to play tag during recess.
mr8ucket @ Oct 18th 2006 3:06PM
Wow, this has to the most ridicules law I've ever heard of. Man I this world is going to hell and I be damned if I'm taken with it. Well at least Texas will never have a law like this I mean we still have doge ball for crying out loud. If anything recess should be extended i can almost guarantee that the test score will go up. Also, I hate how if a kid for some reason decides not to pay attention because he thinks a class is boring their instantly drugged by the system. I remember I was diagnosed with ADD and my mom said they were nuts and told them to shove it. College bound senior in high school and still haven't taken any medication. Its called kids would be more interested in the subject if the burnt off all that extra energy stored up in em. I'm tell en you the world is insane.
Snurp @ Oct 18th 2006 3:12PM
"No, Billy, you can't go outside. Go play your Xbox 360."
Given how "educated" many parents are about games, I think it will be more like, "No Billy, no doing things. Go watch the wall."
32_Footsteps @ Oct 18th 2006 3:16PM
And the Dumbass Comment of the Day goes to minus_273, for somehow thinking that allowing gay marriage means that people are sue-happy maniacs.
Seriously, this is happening right this second in Boston, but you have to realize that this kind of thing is being constantly attempted throughout the United States. Yes, it's stupid, wrong, and counter-productive - and this is coming from a guy who repeatedly spent recess reading in the library back in school. But it's happening everywhere. So don't try to blame anything more specific than the general trends in American society.
It seems to me that there are two ways to handle problems that might happen at recess - either you can have teachers monitor the children as per their job description and have parents actually raise their kids to have respect for others, or you could just ban the practice. Option 1 is sensible, but too many communities are considering Option 2.
Vlad @ Oct 18th 2006 3:16PM
all this in the face of recent psychological research pointing to the critical importance of physical play during development.
maybe this is why kids are rushing to video games: they can't play on the playground anymore.
and good call, 36, I could see that happening.
ken seang @ Oct 18th 2006 3:22PM
Man is this F upped! I recalled when I was younger, getting hurt and and running around was what kids do. I when I get hurt at school for falling or falling off the swing or something, the first thing that comes in my mind is how mad my mom is going to be at me for doing something stupid. We need to get our law system in a right way, becuase these stupid lawsuits are just bothersome. Why can't they just let kids be kids...
SecondChance @ Oct 18th 2006 3:27PM
I think I speak for all of us when I say, thank god they weren't talking about the body spray. Am I right?
mr8ucket @ Oct 18th 2006 3:31PM
@39
Or you can just make it to where you cant school the school for stupid shit. I personally think that this just
shows how society under valuing children and overvaluing money. But no, orcording to your suggested option we should wrap all the kids in bubble wrap and tell them to stare at the wall. Oh and it is a state full of wusses, and yes its because their gay.
Rhys Corlett @ Oct 18th 2006 3:36PM
I hope you Americans know what a source of amusement you are for the rest of us.
Honestly. Anyone with a vendetta and pocket of cash can buy a gun… but no playing tag, someone might get hurt.
Comedy. Gold.
32_Footsteps @ Oct 18th 2006 3:38PM
Fortunately, mr8ucket won't have to worry about losing recess - that post makes it fairly obvious you haven't seen the inside of an educational facility in years.
Ignoring the blatant spelling errors, did you even bother to read the article? It cites other schools that already have taken this action - including in Spokane, Washington and Cheyenne, Wyoming. So this isn't just something done in Massachusetts. It's nationwide.
Of course, you might have read the article, based on how poorly you comprehended my post. My option was that the teachers just do their jobs and watch the children. If things get too rough, then the teachers break things up, but let them play otherwise. That's my opion 1, and the option I think should happen.
And finally, I'd love to see anyone who claims that my home state giving out marriage certificates to gay people somehow causes weakness to actually back these claims up with something remotely resembling evidence. I figure this should be right up there with the people claiming that the entire state would be destroyed a la Sodom and Gomorrah for allowing the Goodridge decision to go forth in the first place.
Bluto @ Oct 18th 2006 3:39PM
My god we used to run around the school yard playing a game called "smeer the queer"; someone would have a football and everyone would chase the guy with the ball, once he was tackled the person who got him took the ball and the chase went on. Now times have changed and a game by that name has no place in the school yard let alone anywhere else, but times are changing when tag is too dangerous for children to play, I fear for the future.
btboy500 @ Oct 18th 2006 3:42PM
Just like everyone else, I've hurt myself pretty badly during recess, but it was still one of the high points in the elementary school day. No way would I or my parents even think of suing the school for something that was either an accident or my own fault. It seems like having recess supervised(as I imagine it has, atleast in my case), then all should be done. Plus, the schools could have parents sign a waiver before their kids are allowed to have recess, washing their hands of liability, as another commenter said.
Ben @ Oct 18th 2006 3:46PM
Back in my day we used to play heavy contact games, because we were men! I remember playing batting ribcages. Everyone gets a bat or two-by-four and you hit each other in the ribs. Whoever had the most broken ribs lost. Who ever had the fewest kinda won. The next day we'd be at it again! This, of course, was between the 20 hour shifts at the coal mines. Did I mention that we walked everywhere? Uphill. Always. That's why my generation is full of the toughest sonuvabitches out there, and why your generation is full of pussies who play puss games like "tag."
Pal @ Oct 18th 2006 3:58PM
We're driving our society into the ground. Our future will be full of the stereotypical persons from the future: pale, lanky, unemotional, calm. Can't guarantee intelligence, but at least we'll be wearing silver jumpsuits.