As younger generations integrate more technology into their lives, less children want to go outside and play. Weber Middle School in Long Island, New York, recently decided to ban balls, cartwheels, tag and other recreational activities in the hopes of keeping kids safe and limiting injuries. This rule is only beneficial to the administration – it was enacted so that the school will not be sued if a student is injured on campus. It discourages kids from playing, and there are many other ways the school can let the students have fun without worrying about liability issues.
Children in the 21st century are born into a world full of technology, which helps to keep them preoccupied when their parents need them quiet. Instead of going outside with friends, kids are opting to stay inside and play an Xbox game, which requires no movement. Students sit immobile in school all day, and when they have the opportunity to go outside and play, students should be encouraged to take advantage of it. Unfortunately, instead of rewarding students by letting them have fun, Weber Middle School chose to take away all these activities. Not only does this make going to school less enjoyable for the children but also helps to encourage an increase in the use of technology during free time. This directly augments an already serious problem in the current day because now schools and parents have trouble getting their kids up and outside as it is.
“I believe that taking away these fun games for kids to play is not smart or helpful,” said sophomore Chris Robles.
Weber Middle School claims this is mainly for the safety of their students, but in reality, the school is hurting them. Accidents while playing ball and tumbling do not happen often and, when they do, they are not very severe. Even so, kids do not need to be immune to scraped knees or stinging palms. Everyone can remember getting hurt on the playground when they were younger; these accidents are even essential to the growth of the child. The school is more nervous about the possibility of getting sued for a child getting injured at recess than a student enjoying a day at school.
Although it is very unreasonable to take away all of these activities, there are many ways the school could keep these activities without being worried about liability. Some ideas to make the middle school feel comfortable with their students on the playground are encouraging each family to sign a liability form, having multiple teachers supervise the activities and teaching students how to be safe with whatever they decide to do during their free time. This problem could be solved in an easier manner than by banning kids from engaging in fun and play. This topic should be talked through more and the decision should require more thought.
The school banning their students fun activities will hurt them in the long run, especially when they want students to play at recess instead of just sit and go on their tablets. Although this has taken place in only one school, there is a possibility for more schools to follow in its footsteps, which is why the subject of banning games at school should be solved quickly.
