Really? A ban on balls in the school yard?

Parents are scratching their heads today over the news that one Toronto elementary school has banned balls in the school yard.

Earl Beatty Public School sent a letter home to parents Monday to say that students would no longer be able to kick a soccer ball, toss a football or play any other sort of game that involves a ball.

The letter went on to explain that there have been "serious incidents" during which staff and students were hit. School trustee Sheila Cary-Meagher told the Star that one Earl Beatty parent took a ball to the head and suffered a concussion.

That's unfortunate.

But is an outright ball ban the right approach, especially when we're facing a crisis of inactivity among children? As my colleague Andrea Gordon mentioned in her latest story on children and exercise, childhood obesity has tripled in the last 30 years, and only 7 per cent of kids get the recommended hour of daily exercise.

Sure space is tight in urban school yards like the one at Earl Beatty. I have to be very cafeful to stay out of the line of fire when I pick up my youngest son from his small school yard, so I can appreciate the risk.

But that's the thing about risk. It has to be balanced against reward. And in this case the reward is just the kind of free play and exercise that today's screen-addicted kids need.

What do you think? Are there solutions the administration at Earl Beatty may not have yet explored? Is the answer better supervision in the school yard so there are some grownups to herd the junior kindergarteners out of the way of kids twice their size playing soccer? How about a sign at the yard gate to remind parents to beware of flying objects?

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:

Is your teen hooked on video games? Brain research shows why

Latest social network for kids promises a small and safe site - for a price

Comments

[mara]

I've had this discussion with our school administration, and suggested that if they think that the games kids play are too rough, why don't they organize intramurals at lunch. Beyond the obesity debate, we are imposing so many rules and restrictions on the kids that they aren't able to learn through play, develop responsibility and accountability, or moderate their behaviour. Instead of banning, set guidelines. How about some rules and repercussions? They are only allowed on the hardtop, not the field, then they're only allowed on the play structure on certain days, then this. What next? And you know what bored kids do? They bug each other. Hello bullying.

[Jenn Sprung (@mindthecompany)]

I think that we are making some rather unwise decisions with our children. I am a parent that would prefer my child learn about rules and risk at a young age, so that I don't have to bury one of them before they reach adulthood. Why do we put sand and salt over every patch of ice they may encounter in a school yard? The quick answer would be to say that it prevents injuries. But maybe it's better to learn the principles of slippery surfaces at the age of 6, and not at the age of 16 when we hand them the car keys for their first solo ride. Why are we so afraid to tell our kids that there are rules that need to be followed if they want to play with balls in a school yard? If we fail to teach them now, what have they learned for their futures? My opinion on banning balls in a school yard? Ridiculous. TEACH them to be safe.

[Bhavnita Shah]

You know what they called it when a kid got hurt with a ball when I was a kid? RECESS!

[Brian]

This is really poor leadership. Accidents will happen from time to time and the appropriate response would be to have a discussion with the children about safe play guidelines. This is a primary school - how hard could a tennis/soccer ball be hit?

[Sandy]

This is so ridiculous. What kind of children are we raising? I'm honestly scared for the future of this planet.

[Susana]

No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it. Albert Einstein
With this quote in mind, I agree on TEACH them to play safe idea by Jenn. One way is they invite all the pro sports teams to their school yard for workshops and how to play safe.

[x]

It's about time that parents should band together and stop these crazy spoiled parents from running our schools.

[Anonymous]

If students are permitted or forced to play ball games in an appropriate setting (soccer field or separated basketball court) then the ban is just silly.

But, if like at my 4 year old sons school where the 13 year olds are kicking a soccer ball around on the same piece of tarmac where the 4 year olds are lining up for class or playing hopscotch, then no, a ball ban is not going "too far" - it is the responsible thing to do.

When this situation has been brought to the attention of the school administration, their response has been that they do not have the ability to provide enough staff to supervise both the tarmac area and the grass area where the soccer field is.

Considering the increased recognition with respect to head injuries in the media as of late I would hope that there would be less of a knee jerk reaction to this story and that people would take a moment to reflect on the possible ramifications.

For the record, I have wintessed on a nearly weekly basis both young children and their parents take a speeding soccer ball to the head - this is not a "one in a million" propsition.

[STeve C]

To the teachers and principals of our wonderful modern day school system:

Please find some time to teach our children about play and provide them with some rules to do it.

We all need balance in our lives. Without play with balls, we never learn balance. Sitting on the sofa does not teach balance.
Together, we can teach the world to have fun...and dodge a few balls.

[Matt, PhD]

Hey TDSB, simple solution here: instead of punishing everyone, why don't you punish the brat/group of brats who hit the adult in the head with the ball? If it was intentional or careless behaviour that lead to the adult's concussion then punish them! if it can't be determined then give them a warning with a promise for punishment if it happens again. oh darn, i forgot, no form of punishment can be metered out in schools anymore, we wouldn't want to hurt anyone's feelings. gold star for you TDSB!

*by punishment i mean detention or INDIVIDUAL loss of ball playing privileges. not the strap.

[TorGurl124]

What ever happened to the term "heads up"? If you are around children who are at play, keep your eyes and heads up. Accidents happen. Don't take away the simple pleasure of playing. Sheesh.

[mike]

If parents were not so quick to sue and complain every time a child got hurt on a playground the administration would not have to react like this. Our overly legal society creates these issues.

[Andrew E]

Simple solution: have the kids, staff and any visiting parents all wear hockey pads and helmets with visors during recess (and don't forget those jocks/jills!).

[Beth Kimberly]

Definitely a step too far. Yes, recess needs guidelines so that students are safe, but kids also need an opportunity to be active and to learn safety through this activity.

I hope this school reconsiders access to balls. A large, heavy ball might not be the right one for dodgeball (does any one remember those?!), but a small foam ball can be safe and FUN! Another thing that can help is creating a map of the playground so students know where it is safe to kick and throw balls and where there is room for jump rope and running. Get the students involved in creating this safe environment, and the school will have students with more knowledge of safety and who help enforce guidelines.

At Playworks (in the US), we work to help schools develop this environment and integrate fun opportunities for play. Here are a few tips: http://www.playworks.org/blog/you-school-recess-ready . CIRA Ontario (http://www.ciraontario.com/ps/page/about_us) also runs workshops to support schools with recess.

[Mary Lynn]

When I was a kid I had terrible luck with balls hitting me. Soccer balls, baseballs...you name it. Twice I had my glasses broken by flying volleyballs. And once I got hit in the head with a very cold, hard, broomball. In every case I was a bystander. Even so, I think this ban is ridiculous. Accidents happen. What next? Are we going to make our kids wear helmets whenever they step outside the classroom? They're kids....we have to let them play and exercise and have a bit of fun, for gooness sakes.

[EB Mommy]

My daughter goes to this school. I think this measure is meant to protect te school from liability at the expense of the kids. Why have a ban at one TDSB school and not another??? Seems like some very poor decision making, that is reactive, at an administrative level to me

[Cheryl]

Another knee jerk reaction. When I was in elementary school we played baseball at every recess from spring to late fall. Then a child got hurt and schools took away balls and bats. Now it is all balls in a Toronto school. All this at a time when child obesity rates are threatening the lifespan of this new generation of children. Society actually has the nerve to complain about children's inactivity and at the same time takes away all their toys. Common sense must prevail. Life is full of risks. We can't protect our children from all of them. Teach them to play safe and let them have their balls.

[Kimberly]

Are you kidding? Since when is ball playing, learning good sportsman ship, sharing, team building, social skills, physical coordination and pure fun unacceptable???

So someone got hit with a ball full of air...seems like there is a lot of "hot air" at that school!!

Reality check people! "We" are concerned about obesity, lack of social skills, excessive use of video games tv watching and what ever else and now we don't want our kids to play outside with sports balls...really?

[VL]

Your account is inaccurate, alas. The children have been told they CAN play with Nerf and sponge balls.

Speaking as someone who has been hit by balls in a schoolyard and has handled injuries resulting from balls being kicked/thrown, I can say I see why the school is banning some kinds of balls. Frankly, when a soccer ball hits you after a strong kick, it can cause serious injury, and with hundreds of children in the yard, there is just no way to adequately supervise them. One possible suggestion is to split recesses, so there are fewer children in the yard at one time, and the children that are in the yard are of similar ages (so that 6 year olds aren't playing near 11 year olds, who are much stronger, bigger, and faster), but that would require more staffing, which is not provided for in school budgets.

[Kari]

You know I’m amazed about the schools in Toronto urge to take away all the fun for our kids and opportunities for active play. It has never been more important to encourage active play outdoors. Research is also starting to show us that our kids need to learn to take kids. I’m amazed how much risk we allow our kids to take when they are in scheduled activities like ice hockey and skiing compare to free outdoor play.

Risky play mirrors effective cognitive behavioral therapy of anxiety,” they write in the journal Evolutionary Psychology, concluding that this “anti-phobic effect” helps explain the evolution of children’s fondness for thrill-seeking. New York Times 2011.07.19 http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/19/science/19tierney.html
“Children need to encounter risks and overcome fears on the playground,” said Ellen Sandseter, a professor of psychology at Queen Maud University in Norway.
Children’s Risky Play from an Evolutionary Perspective: The Anti-Phobic Effects of Thrilling Experiences www.epjournal.net/filestore/EP092572842.pdf

[Eva]

What kids need is supervision, and with that we should be ok. schools need to have adults/teachers/helpers supervising kids to make sure things don't get out of hands. Kids will be kids.

Are we going to start banning stairs, cement or concrete and build everything out of foam because we can get hurt??
Banning things is not the answer, or we would have to ban everything under the sun.
Banning is the easiest way out though, I completely disagree.

[Leah P]

I agree that a "ball ban" is totally the wrong approach to this issue. Yes, someone got hurt. However, I don't think there is a need to get so worked up about an accident like this one. Scraping a knee on the tarmac or even getting hit with a ball is a basically a childhood rite of passage. Being active comes with risks, and clearly, due to the rising instances of childhood obesity, we need to take these risks. If schools think taking away the fun of outdoor activities is going to make the playgrounds safer, they need to think again. In order to encourage our kids to be active, they need to be able to embrace every opportunity for fun. My love for soccer began in the schoolyard, and I think it's unfair for kids not to be exposed to new sports, games, etc. I also understand the safety concerns; there are definitely steps that can be taken to improve schoolyard conditions. Schools should better enforce designated areas in which kids can play certain types of games (like dodgeball, for example). Schools could also take action to make sure their recreation supplies are up to date and follow all the necessary safety guidelines. In this way, kids will become more aware of their surroundings and still be able to enjoy a carefree childhood.