No Touch Policy Introduced to BC School

[melloman]

A ban on touching during recess at a B.C. elementary school has shocked parents, who call the new no-touch policy "ridiculous."

For most kids, recess is a chance to run around and goof-off with their friends, but a new ban on touching at a school in Aldergrove could put a damper on playtime.

School administrators at Coghlan Fundamental Elementary School in B.C. have banned kindergarten students from touching each other during recess.

Hands-off policy for kindergarteners

Coghan Fundamental Elementary School in Langley has implemented a no-touching policy for kindergarten students at recess. Nov. 4, 2013. (CTV)

Students were sent home with a letter on Friday, advising parents of the new hands-off rule which prohibits games such as tag, holding hands and imaginary Star Wars light saber duels.

Julie Chen, a mother from the school, says she does not understand the motive behind such a strict ban.

"I can’t imagine little kids not being able to hug each other or help each other on the playground," Chen told CTV news. "Not tag, no hugging, no touching at all."

The letter states that the ban was put in place as a result of several playground injuries over the past few weeks due to games and other hands-on play during recess.

The school says it will have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to the no-touching policy and children who break the rule will miss playtime or be sent to the office.

School district spokesmen Ken Hoff says the ban is simply a measure to ensure student safety and not meant to severely punish students for touching.

"It wasn’t meant to be an instantaneous situation where the hammer is just going to drop if a child touches another child," Hoff said. "I think what it was meant to convey is we are taking the issue seriously," he added.

The letter asks parents to talk to their children about the new rules and encourage them to come up imaginary games that don’t involve "fighting".

Buzz Bishop, writer of popular parenting blog DadCAMP, says the new ban sounds absurd.

"School bans touching? Touching. How can they be serious?" Bishop wrote in a recent post.

"Are we that terrible at monitoring our kids that we can’t handle the few running amok on the playground, and we must put the entire student population on lockdown? Apparently we are," he added.

Chen feels the new rule is simply taking things too far.

"I get that kids have to have rules but at some point, where do we draw the line?" Chen said.

"I am not going to tell my daughter she can’t touch her friends at school. I am going to teach her boundaries."

Read more: New no-touch policy introduced at B.C. elementary school | CTV News

Coles notes:
-No touching during recess for Kindergarten kids.
-If you touch someone, you go to the office and don't get playtime
-New policy because too many kids going home with injuries



Any opinions other then... DAFUQ IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE?!

[AAnthony]

-----

[Gumby]

So it's ok to touch each other in Gr. 1 then?

What a joke. Thank god my Kindergartener doesn't go to a school with such a stupid rule.

[falcon]

We're breeding a culture of "must protect people from themselves."

Man I can't even count how many times I got hurt during recess in school. I was part of growing up and learning not to do said stupid thing again.

[Nlkko]

physical play stimulates the brain and help with development....

[Geoc]

In the administrator's eyes it doesn't seem that stupid, it make sense somewhat.

If helicopter parents are going to be hovering around and breathing down my neck, threaten the school board with lawsuits every time their kids breathe in bacterial spores, it's a simple way to protect your own ass.

I wouldn't really blame the school, I blame retarded parents and their lawyers.

[7seven]

Reminds me of AD



Stupid policy, but doesn't surprise me these days with all the coddling of kids going on now.

[Serious]

So you can't play tag at recess?

[murd0c]

Maybe if the teachers did a better job of the supervision they wouldn't have all of these so called "injuries" sounds like a cop out for a bunch of lazy ass teachers to me!!

[Dragon-88]

Need to surround the school or kids with bubble wrap.

[melloman]

Clearly whoever is supposed to watch the kids play at recess just falls asleep or goes on break themselves.

I just find it completely insane that your going to ban touching. You teach kids not to push, or hit (punch/kick) others. That's how you might be able to stop the injuries.. Or watch what game is causing the injuries and ban that single game.. If someone was watching them play, wouldn't they be able to figure out how each kid gets injured?

Personally I think there are afew people just not doing their job anymore, and they should be fired.

[Traum]

Originally Posted by melloman

Any opinions other then... DAFUQ IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE?!

x2

WTF is wrong with these idiot school administrators?!

[Gridlock]

Originally Posted by Geoc

I wouldn't really blame the school, I blame retarded parents and their lawyers.

But here's the kicker.

We never sue anyone.

Obviously we pick it up as a society from US news and events where anyone anywhere can have a stupid lawsuit, but in Canada even though everyone runs around thinking they are going to get sued...they don't.

We can't even put drunk drivers that kill away for any length of time, but someone thinks they are going to get sued on a playground?

[radioman]

When I read the title I thought it was for the teachers

[Gridlock]

Coming to a school yard near you, its

No Touch 2013!TM

From the fine educational minds that brought us, "No Fail 2008" and "Everyone Hates Bullies 2010 here's a pink t-shit"

No Touch 2013

Are you tired of having kids that act like kids? Think no more! Have them live in a world of 2 feet of personal space!

And included with every purchase of the No Touch 2013 program is the updated rule book to 'Red Rover' because now, everyone comes over! But not too close Tommy, you already won this round.

Act fast, and we'll throw in, "Hugging Yourself is the Best Hug" and "Hi-five Yourself"

All brought to you by "Fuck Your Net Zero policy, I'm taking an extra coffee break" in association with "It's called a union, bitch. Fire me, I dare you"

The end result is spotless kids that know of no consequence to their actions. Good luck future! The grads of 2022 are coming to get you.

[Hondaracer]

Buddy of mine broke his leg playing tackle football at recess with us in grade 6, ambulance came and we played again the next break lol

Also our principle even tore his ACL one time thinking he was hot stuff playing football with the kids lol

The pussification of society rolls on
Posted via RS Mobile

[MarkyMark]

Too many injuries boo hoo it's a fact of life. You're a child you're going to skin your knees, a kids gonna push you too hard while you're playing and you're going to fall, big whoop. This was probably brought on by one or two bitchy mom's who were horrified that their little angel came home with a bruise.
Posted via RS Mobile

[7seven]

Originally Posted by Gridlock

But here's the kicker.

We never sue anyone.

Obviously we pick it up as a society from US news and events where anyone anywhere can have a stupid lawsuit, but in Canada even though everyone runs around thinking they are going to get sued...they don't.

We can't even put drunk drivers that kill away for any length of time, but someone thinks they are going to get sued on a playground?

It happens....

Girl wins lawsuit against boy for recess injury at Surrey school, when kids were 11 and 12 | Metro

A girl has won her liability lawsuit against a boy for an injury she received at a private elementary school in Surrey during recess in 2008.

The girl was 11 and her schoolmate was 12 at the time.

Jacqueline Gu was being carried “piggyback-style” by her friend Elizabeth Tichelman when Elizabeth was pushed from behind by another friend and classmate, Liam Friesen.

Gu, who described Liam as a nice boy, fell and fractured her elbow on the artificial turf at Southridge School on Nov. 21, 2008.

Elizabeth’s mother described Liam as a “rambunctious but a sweet kid.” Another Grade 6 girl at the time recalled Liam was the “class clown.”

Gu advanced the legal action through her legal guardian, Bei Xin Gu, since children cannot file lawsuits.

She claimed negligence against Friesen, his parents, Elizabeth, Elizabeth’s parents and the school. Gu alleged the school did not properly supervise the playground when she was injured.

In a judgment released Wednesday, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Terry Schultes found Liam Friesen was negligently liable for the injury.

But the judge dismissed the liability claim against Friesen’s parents, the school and the third parties. He did not determine a dollar figure Friesen, now a teenager, would have to pay in damages leaving that decision until after a further hearing.

Six lawyers were involved in the five-day civil trial.

Friesen testified he had been playing football with some other students when he noticed the two girls, whom he was friends with at the time.

He recalled that he ran “pretty far” from the football game before he saw Elizabeth and Jacqueline because he was trying to catch a pass for a touchdown. When he stopped, they were between five and 10 metres away from him.

He ran up behind them at pace “between a walk and a run” and pushed Elizabeth “softly,” the boy said.

But he agreed on cross-examination that he was going at a “fast jog” and that it was more his momentum that accounted for the amount of force that was actually applied, rather than how hard he had tried to push Elizabeth.

His intention was to make the girls laugh. He did not did not mean to hurt Jacqueline, he said.

He was also aware of the school rule against pushing on the playground and knew that he had broken it, but he did not consider “all the other bad things that could happen” or about getting into trouble before he did it.

Elizabeth fell to the ground and, according to Friesen, started laughing. Jacqueline also ended up on the ground, but began crying.

A year after the incident, Friesen was diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and now takes medication for it, the judge said in written reasons.

“However, this condition was not known to anyone at the time that Jacqueline was hurt, so it was obviously not something that could have been taken into account by anyone who was involved in supervising him,” the judge said.

He noted the boy was not known for being aggressive and the incident appeared to be a “one-off” that could not have been foreseen.

The boy’s lawyer, Nigel Beckmann, said he couldn’t comment on the case.

“The matter is still in litigation,” he said Wednesday.

[Mr.HappySilp]

lol they are kids! Kids get injury is normal >< heck even us grown ups hurt ourselives from time to time.....

[MindBomber]

I would direct my child to hug every child in his/her class every recess, unless a child themselves asks them to not give them a hug.

[hotjoint]

WTF is this.....

[twitchyzero]

what I hated most during recess time in my days (VSB in the 90's)
they force everyone outside due to lack of supervision
they do open the gym during the winter but you cant be in hallways or classroom
then they banned snow ball fights...dafuq mang

[CorneringArtist]

Originally Posted by Gridlock

Coming to a school yard near you, its

No Touch 2013!TM

From the fine educational minds that brought us, "No Fail 2008" and "Everyone Hates Bullies 2010 here's a pink t-shit"

No Touch 2013

Are you tired of having kids that act like kids? Think no more! Have them live in a world of 2 feet of personal space!

And included with every purchase of the No Touch 2013 program is the updated rule book to 'Red Rover' because now, everyone comes over! But not too close Tommy, you already won this round.

Act fast, and we'll throw in, "Hugging Yourself is the Best Hug" and "Hi-five Yourself"

All brought to you by "Fuck Your Net Zero policy, I'm taking an extra coffee break" in association with "It's called a union, bitch. Fire me, I dare you"

The end result is spotless kids that know of no consequence to their actions. Good luck future! The grads of 2022 are coming to get you.

You forgot "Sports Day Participant Ribbon 2001".
Posted via RS Mobile

[Lomac]

wtf

Kids will be kids. Part of growing up is running Red Rover in the field, or playing chicken on top a raised structure, or playing tag, or any other number of games kids play.

My old Elementary school had gravel for us to fall in, not wood chips with a soft rubber underlay. We had a super sketchy fort that rose two stories and had a fireman's pole in the centre, with no guardrails to prevent us from falling down. Oh, and it was made from wood, not safety plastic. We had a trio of giant concrete tubes that we'd run on, even though they were a number of feet high. Hell, we'd climb the uprights in the football field and the kids on the ground would try to shake us off.

Did any of us ever get injured? Sure, but it taught us to be careful of where we put our feet and be mindful of our surroundings. My brother broke both his arms after falling off the monkey bars while playing chicken, but as soon as he was out of the casts, he was right back on 'em going after the other kids.

I get that this is for Kindergarten kids (though I'm not sure why they're the only ones included in this ban) and not for the rest of the grades, but it's still stupid. Even in class, a Kindergarten kid is still playing around with their classmates and sometimes physical contact is inevitable.

[Lomac]

Originally Posted by 7seven

It happens....

Girl wins lawsuit against boy for recess injury at Surrey school, when kids were 11 and 12 | Metro