Remember a good game of Tag?

Beagle · Post by **Beagle** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 6:29 am

I read this online and find it very sad that our society has come to this.....

Not It! Mass. Elementary School Bans Tag

By The Associated Press

ATTLEBORO, Mass. -- 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.

cherandbuster · Post by **cherandbuster** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 6:35 am

Wow -- that town in Massachusetts is about 30 minutes from where I live . . .

Boy

The world sure has changed

Beagle · Post by **Beagle** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 6:38 am

cherandbuster wrote: Wow -- that town in Massachusetts is about 30 minutes from where I live . . .

Boy

The world sure has changed

That's exactly what I was thinking, Cher. And, I don't know about you, but there was a better chance of getting injured on the playground equipment that playing tag. We used to swing from the monkey bars, climb all over everything! Seems to me THAT would be more dangerous.

cherandbuster · Post by **cherandbuster** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 6:43 am

In this litigious world

I guess everyone wants to cover his a*s*s

RedGlitter · Post by **RedGlitter** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 6:52 am

I thought this was going to be that Tag was eliminated because of the touching part. You know, sexual harrassment.

I can go with making football optional because kids can get rough but why Tag?? Seems silly. Agreed- the monkey bars pose a bigger risk.

chonsigirl · Post by **chonsigirl** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 9:01 am

Take away the jump rope too, you might trip!

You already took away dodge ball!

Oh, hopscotch too-you can trip again.

Hmm, four-square, no, that is bad for self-esteem when you loose.

What do they expect the kids to do at reccess-a new study out just showed increased reccess time made for higher test scores on state and national tests.

Nomad · Post by **Nomad** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 9:05 am

We combined hide and seek with tag. After you found them you had to tag them. Every house on our block had kids so it was play time all the time. Nice memories.

Marie5656 · Post by **Marie5656** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 12:50 pm

Ok, I have this question. What if a group of kids were in the middle of a game when the sport was banned. And then they could not finish the game. Will the kid who was IT never be able to tag someone? Will he be IT for the rest of his life? Like, it is thier 25 year high school reunion..and he is still looking for womeone to tag??

Insomniac · Post by **Insomniac** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 12:58 pm

The knuckleheads who are afraid to play tag, etc. etc., need some psychotherapy I believe. I wonder sometimes why I have a cynical point of view about life, and it's so so sad that the way things are, the changes that are happening, the way "we" will supress who we are and how we feel in order to not offend someone. Yes, we should try not to offend people, but if it is offensive just being who you are, then it is the others who have the problem. I'm ticked off about people who would rather die trying to kiss someone's a$$ than live trying to express themselves honestly.

Don't know if what I just said makes sense gramatically, but I hope you know what I mean.

Insomniac · Post by **Insomniac** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 1:15 pm

That's what I meant.

What about phys-ed teachers? Are they doomed now?

Man, I was never very good at sports, but dodge ball was so much fun!!

"Now Johnny and Susie, you come right inside now! Stop that playing in the fresh air and come in and watch tv".

Rollers skating...wow was that fun! No roller rinks when I grew up...silver skates with keys, latch them right on to your black and white saddle shoes, and skate all over the place! I don't remember anyone getting killed.

chonsigirl · Post by **chonsigirl** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 1:26 pm

Yeah! And when the skates broke, my brothers made homemade skatboards out of them..................

Lulu2 · Post by **Lulu2** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 1:29 pm

We almost ALWAYS had scabbed knees and elbows from running and falling on the school yard! And look--somehow we grew up without too much damage!

What an insane decision!

What's next? A group of parents sues because the children don't get enough good exercise?

WAIT! I KNOW! We'll encase them all in BUBBLE-WRAP and send them out to play.

buttercup · Post by **buttercup** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 1:49 pm

Lulu2 wrote:

WAIT! I KNOW! We'll encase them all in BUBBLE-WRAP and send them out to play.

its not such a bad idea lulu, last year the local kids wrapped up in it all over with tape, made a circle in the car park & played sumo wrestling in the holidays, great fun :wah:

Erinna1112 · Post by **Erinna1112** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 8:06 pm

Nomad wrote: We combined hide and seek with tag. After you found them you had to tag them. Every house on our block had kids so it was play time all the time. Nice memories.

Yup, we used to do this after dark on summer nights on the farm where BR and I spent most of our summers, growing up. I remember getting spooked, and being easily found, because I wanted to have a building at my back, so whoever was "it" looked for me behind the bushes up against the house, the barn, or the shed

Lulu2 · Post by **Lulu2** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 9:11 pm

MARIE: "Will he be IT for the rest of his life?" :wah: