Tag has today been banned from a Primary School playground!!! What do you think about this? Gone too far?

Question

Too dangerous they say. Our children will find it hard to survive in the real world when all risks are taken out of life when they are young.

Indoor play when its cold, wet snowy-- Health and Saftey.

Would you sue if you child slipped on the snow and broke their arm??

Answer 1

Wow. The sheer idiocy of this belies belief.

I wouldn't sue if my son hurt himself playing tag-he got headbutted by a young boy(accidental) at his former school and had a massive black eye-they were surprised when he was in school the next day-what?? I had to be bed-ridden to get a day off when I was young. He has fallen down and banged himself more times than I care to count-in and out of school-it's called being a boy!

When I was at school we played British bulldog, primitive rugby(and I mean primitive), tag, hide and seek etc AND we had trees to climb too-IN school!!!

Dinner ladies had pink chequered tabards on with a seemingly never ending supply of foxes glacier mints in them,(no sweets in school now thanks to the food police), and would march you off to the first aid room for treatment with savlon cream and a plaster-but only if you were REALLY bleeding, grazes didn't count. They certainly didn't phone home to tell your Mum that you'd grazed your knee which appears to be the latest trend.

Do you know what? I survived, flourished even, in an environment where you had freedom to play and express yourselves(when that didn't mean a tyrade of four letter words and obscene gestures).

I'm the wrong side of 30 now, with kids of my own and I wonder what will become of those children whose parents wholly subscribe to this way of thinking when they enter the 'real' world of adulthood-where it ISN'T always fair and you regularly DON'T get what you want and having a tantrum and threatening to tell your Mum or sue won't help you.

Answer 2

First things first, would I sue? NO.... but too many will.

For instance there was this party a few years back 30 people on this balcony when it collapsed. Nobody was killed a few were hurt.

250 people won a suit against the guys that had the party (yes do the math, and they actually WON the suit). Anything to get some money (how much money did FEMA give to people who weren't anywhere near Katrina... but said they were). A kid who slips and falls on the playground is a meal ticket to the easy life.

I don't have a problem with kids not being able to play certain games outside (or inside) tag was not allowed to be played during recess when I was growing up (some hundreds of years ago it seems like). We were allowed to play it during PE, when we had flags on that people took, rather than the "punching" that some people called "tagging".

We didn't play outside when it was cold (although that was relative, back there cold was below zero, around here cold is below freezing). We went into the gym and hit each other with balls (not sure why you can't tag someone but you can knock them out with a ball to the back of the head).

The primary responsibility of the school is to teach our children in a safe environment. "Recess" is only there to allow the children time to expend some energy, and the same safety requirements must be followed out there as in the classroom.

Answer 3

Well, most of you say you wouldn't sue, but the hard truth is different. When a few thousand pounds are waved in front of you, then you might change your mind! Would you sue if your child played tag at school and had a permanent injury? Of course you would, but they only played tag. Then tag gets banned and the other parents are furious - until their precious little ones get similar injuries. If it happens in your own home, who do you sue then? The father? Yourself? I think if the sueing culture stopped then all this nonsense about health and safety would stop too. Health and Safety is a good thing because it can prevent many workplace deaths or permanent injuries but I think it has gone too far. The only people that are benefiting are the solicitors, not you, not your child or your employee.

Answer 4

Peanut allergies are much more serious than other allergies and if you truly do have two children in the school that are allergic to them, I don't think it's too much to ask that the other children comply. I knew a child that had to wipe everything down before he touched it because there might be peanut oil traces left on it. That's how allergic he was. Anaphylactic shock is no fun, and I don't think your child would want to be responsible for the death of another. However, I do appreciate John W.'s point of view up there, he does have some enlightened ideas. Perhaps, the affected children should eat by themselves. It does seem a little harsh, but their friends can eat with them if they want. I see both sides, to an extent. Remember, we are talking about children, and no one has really done anything wrong here.

Answer 5

Yep Health and Safety has gone mad.

Why don't the Focus some of their energies on the HEALTH aspect - tag great exercise for kids - at a time when there are concerns surrounding child obesity.

Why are we wrapping our kids up in cotton wool

I would not sue if my child was injured in an accident where children were playing and an accident could not have been prevented

Answer 6

Its no wonder kids go off the rails in their teenage years. They are sheltered from so much as youngsters and then all of a sudden we shove them into the real world and say get on with it.

The PC brigade will regret it all in years to come when we have a generation of kids scared to go out and live life.

It seems as though childhood is really an illusion, seeing as they can't play in the playground and there's too many nutters around to let them play outside. It's no wonder they play video games all the time.

Answer 7

While I may think that the world has got to the stage of insane political correctness, there are people in minority groups litigating.

Just so may litigation's have been leveled against child care centres, schools and kindys about play and equipment it has come to this. The litigation is not just for medical cost is is for 100s of thousands of dollars, absolutely ludicrous amounts. It is the new get rich scheme in America and UK. I agree there is just too much bullshit with most of this, but as a business can you afford to take the risks of litigation for a broken arm and the publicity of CHILDCARE CENTRE SUED FOR FAILING TO UNDERTAKE DUTY OF CARE! One item recently was a suit because a child was not permitted to go out and play in the snow due to inadequate clothing. Discrimination! $8000.00. Where will it stop?

Answer 8

This country has gone mad. Your're absolutely right. Children get bumps and bruises as part of growing up. They learn lessons from these incidents and it is important that they do so. If children are not allowed to touch each other - except to check if a hurt child is okay - how are they going to be able to interact normally when they are older.

No, I would not sue if my child got hurt at school unless there was obvious negligence involved. Accidents happen - why can't people live with that fact.

Answer 9

my daughtes school last year banned it. the principal said to many little kids were feeling threatened and had been hurt.
no, i would not sue, it could have happened at home just as easily.
there was a case here where a kid took a peanut butter cookie from a classmate and died from the allergic reaction. the parents sued of course. and it made me angry that the school settled. the kid was old enough to know what could happen. he had gone over the allergy plan with the school nurse. he had an epi pen. he knew that cookie was peanut butter. he made the choice. the parents can not accept that the child had the responsibility for his own death.
our schools have a 10 mil deficit for next year. one school is being closed to help cover that. its sad.

Answer 10

That's ridiculous. No I wouldn't sue if one of mine hurt themselves in the playground - accidents happen everywhere. What are they suggesting kids do instead? Walk a slow circuit round the playground? Perhaps they would be safer inside watching the TV? It's no wonder there are more kids with weight problems these days when they're not allowed to run around and have fun outside.