Political Crossfire Forums

[Praetorian]

Massachusetts school bans tag...
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061018/ap_on_fe_st/playground_tag_ban

Quote: 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.

Are they serious? WTF is this country coming to. God forbid children run around and *gasp* fall down. That might severly impede on little Johnny's piano session at 4 pm, squash session at 6 pm, family reading time at 8pm, and piano practice at 9pm. STOP MICROMANAGING YOUR KIDS!

Holy crap, people. Let your kids be freaking kids. It is not like anyone has died playing tag, unless they ran off a ravine or something. Chill the heck out or you are going to build generations of wusses.
Kids need to fall down. It is part of life. They'll cry, get a band-aid, and fall down again 10 minutes later. That is childhood.

Whatever. Screw recess. They don't need to exercise anyway. Let's just stick them inside and let them play X-Box all day. Most schools have already banned dodgeball, kickball, and now tag. Let's just devise a computer program that allows kids to play those games virtually and no one will ever get hurt again. They won't be able to tell their kids about the scar on their chin from sliding into third, or the scars on their knees from slipping and landing in gravel during hide and seek. Hell, let's just encase our kids in plastic bubbles from birth. Then they won't have to worry about them getting a cold, either.

I seriously wish God would smite these idiots and just let us start over.

Is society going too far? Are congressmen feeling the pressure from bored housewives who have nothing better to do than think up stupid rules?

[micfranklin]

Many schools have talked about it, and one has gone and done that evil deed.

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

Well he should also know that gym is where accidents can happen, to, and what about riding the school bus, but that hasn't been thought of thanks to those bastards.

Quote: 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.

Kids in elementary school usually go to school only for recess, and these creeps are slowly taking that away from them. Kids could get hurt anywhere else, but no one thought about that.

So in the end, they are retardifying our kids.

[Protostar]

Meh. There is no "tag" in the office, so you might as well get kids used to the fact that they will forever be micromanaged and have to answer to a higher authority when they're young. I never understood the purpose of recess anyway. Its sorta cruel to allow someone a bunch of free time to run around when take that free time away once they reach 6th grade (or at least thats the way I looked at it).

[Winchester]

Don't put the entire blame on schools for banning such activities.

Blame greedy parents who will sue for anything in hopes of getting an easy buck, also blame the lawyers who will take such cases.

A school in our state got sued last year. The reason? Stupid kid skipped out of school for the last couple of classes. While out he got stinking drunk, passed out and died of hypothermia. Schools fault for not noticing he was gone and calling his mother. Keep in mind this kid had a habit of skipping school and had gotten MIP (minor in possession) tickets in the past. His mother was well aware he had school and drinking problems and she wasn't able to do anything to curb his behavior, so it is now the schools fault.

[Protostar]

I wouldn't say they are greedy as much as they are lazy. Parents these days are always trying to pass the buck when it comes to their sorry ass kids. IMO, if you don't have the time to raise a kid then you shouldn't have one. Its not like we're hurting for more people; we only have like, I don't know, 6 and a half BILLION to spare. Public schools are suppose to educate, not babysit.

[Winchester]

Protostar wrote: I wouldn't say they are greedy as much as they are lazy. Parents these days are always trying to pass the buck when it comes to their sorry ass kids. IMO, if you don't have the time to raise a kid then you shouldn't have one. Its not like we're hurting for more people; we only have like, I don't know, 6 and a half BILLION to spare. Public schools are suppose to educate, not babysit.

Many are lazy, but greed plays a part as well. If there was no hope for a financial award, then there wouldn't be the lawsuits. If there weren't the lawsuits, then the schools wouldn't feel the need to ban activities where minor injuries could happen.

[Praetorian]

Protostar wrote: Meh. There is no "tag" in the office, so you might as well get kids used to the fact that they will forever be micromanaged and have to answer to a higher authority when they're young. I never understood the purpose of recess anyway. Its sorta cruel to allow someone a bunch of free time to run around when take that free time away once they reach 6th grade (or at least thats the way I looked at it).

What does answering to a higher authority have to do with it?

Recess is a physical outlet for these kids that probably don't get one at home where their parents plop them down in front of a tv.

Recess time has been diminishing, childhood obesity has been rising. Coorelation, anyone?

Once you reach sixth grade, you don't play tag anymore. You skateboard, rock-climb, bike, etc... So recess is obsolete.

The problem isn't with the schools; it is with the parents. They are lazy, like before mentioned. They want to blame everyone but themselves or their precious kids. Who cares if the parent sues the school? If there are no laws or regulations in place to back up the parent, they will lose. But when stupid regulations get passed to ban tag in one state, a parent in another can sue when little Bobby gets a scratch on his arm from playing tag in another state, and cite the other regulations as basis for their argument. We are fueling the fire.

It is at times like these when I feel so utterly helpless, and disappointed in this world.

[Enoch]

God, that is pathetic. Greedy lawyers, lazy parents, spineless administrators, and uber-liberal politicians have made schools afraid to let kids be kids. My elementary school had steel jungle-gyms perched over gravel and woodchips. We played, we fell, got scraped and bruised, cried, and then brushed ourselves off and moved on. No parents sued, no children were permanently damaged, and no teachers lost their jobs.

The fear-filled school administrations who would rather take childhood away from kids than fight to end these frivolous lawsuits are just another reason why I will never send my children to public schools.

[Winchester]

Praetorian wrote: Who cares if the parent sues the school? If there are no laws or regulations in place to back up the parent, they will lose.

School boards care if the parent(s) sue the school. Even if the parents lose, defending a lawsuit can get very expensive very quickly. Doesn't have to be laws or regulations in place, parents just need to convince a jury the school was negligent.

I can hardly wait for the irony of parents sueing schools, who cut out recess, for making their kids fat.

[Enoch]

Winchester wrote: Praetorian wrote: Who cares if the parent sues the school? If there are no laws or regulations in place to back up the parent, they will lose.

School boards care if the parent(s) sue the school. Even if the parents lose, defending a lawsuit can get very expensive very quickly. Doesn't have to be laws or regulations in place, parents just need to convince a jury the school was negligent.

I can hardly wait for the irony of parents sueing schools, who cut out recess, for making their kids fat. The day that happens, and I won't be surprised, will truly be a dark mark in the world of education. Our society has gotten ridiculous with the lawsuits. People don't seem to want to take responsibility for themselves anymore.

[The Grandmaster]

Praetorian wrote: Massachusetts school bans tag...
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061018/ap_on_fe_st/playground_tag_ban

Quote: 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.

Are they serious? WTF is this country coming to. God forbid children run around and *gasp* fall down. That might severly impede on little Johnny's piano session at 4 pm, squash session at 6 pm, family reading time at 8pm, and piano practice at 9pm. STOP MICROMANAGING YOUR KIDS!

Holy crap, people. Let your kids be freaking kids. It is not like anyone has died playing tag, unless they ran off a ravine or something. Chill the heck out or you are going to build generations of wusses.
Kids need to fall down. It is part of life. They'll cry, get a band-aid, and fall down again 10 minutes later. That is childhood.

Whatever. Screw recess. They don't need to exercise anyway. Let's just stick them inside and let them play X-Box all day. Most schools have already banned dodgeball, kickball, and now tag. Let's just devise a computer program that allows kids to play those games virtually and no one will ever get hurt again. They won't be able to tell their kids about the scar on their chin from sliding into third, or the scars on their knees from slipping and landing in gravel during hide and seek. Hell, let's just encase our kids in plastic bubbles from birth. Then they won't have to worry about them getting a cold, either.

I seriously wish God would smite these idiots and just let us start over.

Is society going too far? Are congressmen feeling the pressure from bored housewives who have nothing better to do than think up stupid rules?

:lol: I agree completely Prea. I started a thread myself in News before seeing this one. It's completely bulls**t.

[The Grandmaster]

Protostar wrote: Meh. There is no "tag" in the office, so you might as well get kids used to the fact that they will forever be micromanaged and have to answer to a higher authority when they're young. I never understood the purpose of recess anyway. Its sorta cruel to allow someone a bunch of free time to run around when take that free time away once they reach 6th grade (or at least thats the way I looked at it).

I have to disagree with you here my good ally Protostar. One of the things that scares me most in the world is that the belief we need to be habituated from birth to get ready for “The Office.” I’ve already seen enough braindead zombies huddled in their cubicles with spiderweb attached to them with wide eyes and pale skin from lack of light and living. Trust me, they will have all the time they need later to miss out on the world. Let them live while they are kids…while they still can.

[TNBiologist]

Ok, so we now have banned tag, dodge ball, touch football and anything else that might be fun and at the same time help with childhood obesity that everyone is screaming about. I really want to ask someone on that school board "How are children suppost to learn and "like" to get exercise if you have taken away the fun of it? All you have left for them is running laps. Do you really thing that a bunch a 3rd graders want to run/walk laps?".

[perdidochas]

micfranklin wrote: Many schools have talked about it, and one has gone and done that evil deed.

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

Well he should also know that gym is where accidents can happen, to, and what about riding the school bus, but that hasn't been thought of thanks to those bastards.

Quote: 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.

Kids in elementary school usually go to school only for recess, and these creeps are slowly taking that away from them. Kids could get hurt anywhere else, but no one thought about that.

So in the end, they are retardifying our kids.

Blame the lawyers and the lawsuit happy parents.

[toddytodd]

You know, sometimes things happen that are so...ignorant...you have to laugh. This has surpassed ignorance by far....
It's a shame that parents can't parent and look for ways to sue a (in this case) school for their kids being kids. :gdgf:

[perdidochas]

Praetorian wrote: Who cares if the parent sues the school? If there are no laws or regulations in place to back up the parent, they will lose.

No, it's called liability. If a lawyer can convince a jury that the schools were negligent (regardless of a specific law or regulation), the schools can (and have) lose (lost).

Praetorian wrote: But when stupid regulations get passed to ban tag in one state, a parent in another can sue when little Bobby gets a scratch on his arm from playing tag in another state, and cite the other regulations as basis for their argument. We are fueling the fire.

True.

[Demonic Spoon]

Quote:
I have to disagree with you here my good ally Protostar. One of the things that scares me most in the world is that the belief we need to be habituated from birth to get ready for “The Office.” I’ve already seen enough braindead zombies huddled in their cubicles with spiderweb attached to them with wide eyes and pale skin from lack of light and living. Trust me, they will have all the time they need later to miss out on the world. Let them live while they are kids…while they still can.

er..if your job is that mind-numbingly boring, then get a better one?

[The Grandmaster]

Demonic Spoon wrote: Quote:
I have to disagree with you here my good ally Protostar. One of the things that scares me most in the world is that the belief we need to be habituated from birth to get ready for “The Office.” I’ve already seen enough braindead zombies huddled in their cubicles with spiderweb attached to them with wide eyes and pale skin from lack of light and living. Trust me, they will have all the time they need later to miss out on the world. Let them live while they are kids…while they still can.

er..if your job is that mind-numbingly boring, then get a better one?

I did, and now my life is mostly getting paid for nothing but entertainment, free time, fun, and doing whatever the hell I want. Look at the times I make most of my posts. You do the math.

But it is not always so easy, and to constantly tell people again and again again to "find another job." doesn't make it so. Someone has to work in the cubicle. There will always have to be someone doing the boring job. Everyone one of them can’t just quit at once and find a dream job. We’ve been through this before. It’s one thing to tell someone to simply walk out of their job free and clear, and throw all their worries away. When you have bills, payments, obligations, family, it is quite another thing to be able to do it.

[Josh]

1. There must of been serious incidents at these schools to warrant this ban.

2. Also, their must be a supervision problem with teachers during recess.

3. Parents and teachers alike are just scared to death over lawsuits because of a lawsuit threatening incident.



Quote: er..if your job is that mind-numbingly boring, then get a better one?

"micro-managed" mindset won't allow it.

Quote: But when stupid regulations get passed to ban tag in one state, a parent in another can sue when little Bobby gets a scratch on his arm from playing tag in another state, and cite the other regulations as basis for their argument. We are fueling the fire.

Lawsuits suck in general. Tag is way cool. Therefore, tag should be how we solve all of our disputes. Can you see it now?

Brown v. Board of Education, divorce court, domestic violence (maybe not?) solved over a nice game of tag.

[Demonic Spoon]

Quote:
But it is not always so easy, and to constantly tell people again and again again to "find another job." doesn't make it so. Someone has to work in the cubicle. There will always have to be someone doing the boring job. Everyone one of them can’t just quit at once and find a dream job. We’ve been through this before. It’s one thing to tell someone to simply walk out of their job free and clear, and throw all their worries away. When you have bills, payments, obligations, family, it is quite another thing to be able to do it.

Of course. And some people don't mind it ,and don't find it boring ,or work there as a temporary job. Walking out is not easy, but if you are not happy at your job, it is far from impossible to leave. Not right away, of course, but you shouldn't be staying at a bad job for 2-3+ years.