Toronto School Bans Hard Balls

In an attempt to finally "think of the children," Earl Beatty Public school has prohibited students from playing with balls after a "few serious incidents" in which students and staff were hit or almost hit by balls. From the article: "The happy days of kicking a ball around at recess ended Monday after students took home a letter advising that henceforth, no child could bring a soccer ball, football, volleyball or even tennis ball to the junior and senior school in the area of Coxwell and Danforth Aves." I assume all lunches will soon be taken via feeding tube to minimize choking hazards.

Comments

Beyond reasonable

[failedlogic]

Many kids today are inactive and do everything to play sports. School is an environment to grow, learn, play and socialize. Sports seems to fit this very well.

A colleague of mine at work said their 8 yr old son was sent home from school on Halloween, because their outfit was 'too scary'. The parents got a letter and other kids were apparently dismissed. He had a mummy or vampire costume mom had made him.

I don't have kids yet. It seems odd that the generation that grew out of having hippie pot smoking, acid dropping, heavy metal parents to their kids who, like myself, grew up listening to and enjoying even crazier music and exposed to more sex, drugs and alcohol are the same that are deeply offended by 'scary' Halloween costumes or kids playing sports at school.

I live in Toronto and compared to what goes on in the rest of the city, playing with your (or other people's) balls should be the least of parents' concerns. (pun intended),

Re:What next?

[liquidweaver]

Right after the Columbine thing happend (I was in highschool), the school I was at started banning stuff left and right. Noting the ridiculousness in a very similar fashion to waht you are doing here, me and a few buddies printed out a ream of flyers declaring that "Sharp writing utensils, including pencils and pens will be confiscated" and that you have to use "approved safe" writing instruments like markers and crayons.

We then snuck out during an assembly and taped them up everywhere. Amazing, noone got caught - but it was effective. A few students took them home, some discussion started, and some of the bans were lifted (including dusters/long coats).

It was the proudest moment of highschool for me :)

Re:No ball jokes in the comments.

[hairyfeet]

Fine, although I'd say that's a pretty ballsy move for you to just cancel them like that. You sir must have....balls of steel! Which of course means you're not allowed within 500 yards of the school in TFA.

Now for something serious...who the fuck decided we have to babyproof the world? Did I miss a memo? Hell when I was 5 I had my own minibike, most of the other kids had minibikes or go-carts as well. Did we get hurt? fuck yeah we got hurt, but you know what? We went home, put a band-aid on that shit and went back out again!

Hell its no wonder kids are coming out so fucked up nowadays, parents treating kids like they are made out of glass! Can't play outside, can't trick or treat, I had one bump into me at a grocery store and when I simply said "excuse me young lady" I had her mother whisper "stranger danger", needless to say I went off on her ass at how teaching basic manners instead of acting like everyone was gonna snatch her kid would make the world a hell of a lot better place.

Frankly I'm so damned sick of idiot parenting that it ain't even funny. i'm just glad that the parents in my building are actually teaching their children to behave instead of acting nuts. I had to knock on one of their doors the other day just to compliment her on raising such a polite child, who actually held the door open when I was loaded down and said "good morning sir" when I approached. How damned sad is it when simple common everyday courtesy has to be treated like some rare and precious accomplishment.