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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.
I'm watching you.
Will they ban pencils, because they can be sharpened into "stabbing weapons?"
I call bullshit, you are a passive aggressive American who wants to paint socialism in a shitty light. This has nothing to do with Canada's economy.
soccer ball, football, volleyball or even tennis ball
None of those listed are even hard! What do they consider soft, Nerf?
Stop thinking of the children and their balls.. That's not what we ment when we said 'think of the children'.
First, a story about a Boeing "Penetrator". Now, a summary about balls. "In an attempt to finally "think of the children" Earl Beatty Publid school has prohibited students from playing with balls" practically shoves it in your face. Dick jokes... actually, are still pretty funny. Nevermind go right ahead.
The ban on hard balls being brought to school is a “proactive measure. It’s also a preventative measure,”
Yes. That would work as a preventative too. Most schools take a slightly... different approach, but I suppose banning balls period works too. To prevent head injuries.
"None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license." --John Milton
How can they ban this?
Ooh I know this one!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K3E5tLoado
My first Journal Entry ever, in 8 years! http://slashdot.org/journal/365947/aphelion-scifi-fantasy-horror-poetry-webzine
No, I think anyone who has started that practice should probably never stop ... best for the gene pool really.
"Who is the Journal of Quantum Physics going to believe?" --Stephen Hawking
Distinct possibility of frivolous lawsuits cause ban on hard balls at Toronto school.
Undetectable Steganography? Yep, there's an app fo
In the days where there are lawsuit trolls roaming the earth trying to turn any mishap into $$$, I can't really blame them.
Of course, take it out on the kids instead of the lawyers or politicians that allow the lawyers to conduct business as they do.
The Daddy casts sleep on the Baby. The Baby resists!
November 7, the entire school board for my county of 60,000 residents went up for election. Only 2000 people voted. Several of the board members ran uncontested. The rest were reelected.
If you don't like crap like this, get yourself or someone you trust on the school board. It can't be that hard!
The general voting public ignores local politics, which is much more important for day to day life.
Godaddy is a scam and a ripoff.
Why is this on here?! This is not at all tech or nerd related and it is completely overblown. If your RTFA you'll see it is ONE SCHOOL enacting a temporary measure because they have 350 kids on a playground that is too small which also includes a day care with toddlers. I don't even know why the "toronto news" thought this was newsworthy let alone slashdot.
This whole "think of the children" is getting out of hand. I remember growing up climbing trees, using a tall spiral slide, and playing on monkey bars. Could I have gotten hurt? Sure, but scrapes, bruises, and learning how to fall is a part of growing up. If you remove all possible ways for a child to develop his motor skills and learn how to deal with an occasional "oops" when they get hurt, we are going to grow up with a bunch of kids who prefer to sit out of sports and other social events.
This is life, shit happens. People can get hurt and or killed at any point in their life. Banning sports balls is not the answer.
We used to use these so called "hard" balls explicitly to throw at people with the intent to hit them. I believe they called it a "game"... Ball tag?
Schools will attempt to ban any and everything that could possibly be fun even if there is no chance of someone getting hurt (trading hockey cards was banned from my elementary school), its ridiculous.
Open Source Time and Attendance, Job Costing a
Rocks are not balls and you can still play catch, baseball, hockey, etc. with them.
Troll is not a replacement for I disagree.
Granted, I am probably the first person to RTFA, but of course, despite the play to the aesthetics of outrage, the true story is less absurd, less dramatic:
1. the "ban" is temporary until they can find a better solution to the problem
2. the problem is not that the precious little angels might get hit by balls, it's that the play area is much too small, making accidents too likely.
But don't let me stop the hand-wringing. Carry on, carry on.
..the most serious injury at the school to date involved a parent, who was hit in the head by a soccer ball and suffered a concussion.
If that parent can suffer a concussion from a soccer ball kicked by a kid then they need to wear a helmet whenever they leave the house. Don't punish everybody else for having a skull made out of jello.
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),
as long as they're still allowed to play hockey.
This wasn't brought on by a series of injuries, but a series on "incidents". People were getting hit or almost hit. Oh No! One of those people hit got a concussion! Yes, concussions can be serious, but if you let your kids get any kinds of exercise at all they run the risk of a concussion. I got a concussion falling off a jungle gym. No balls involved at all.
One concussion and some bruises or abrasions is no reason to ban a fun form of exercise. No one ever suggested I stop climbing on things after I hurt myself. (I know that since I've left school, people have made that demand of today's kids, but that's just as unreasonable.
I don't think they banned balls with arms.
Aah, change is good. -- Rafiki
Yeah, but it ain't easy. -- Simba
Ick. No thank you! We like ours spicy, a little chewy and with a bit of fight left in them. After all, half the fun is chasing 'em down and catching them. Weren't you paying attention when we got Hollywood to make our "Predator" movies?
Please do not read this sig. Thank you.
... is this the same school that first stopped keeping scores in soccer because they didn't want to "emotionally harm" the losing side?
I weep for the species.
Operation Guillotine is in effect.
Google maps shows a urban JK-8 school with a tiny green space and playground.
The street level view is crowded.
There is a small area set aside with a handful of shade trees, a slide, climbers, etc., for the youngest kids.
A running track frames the play area for the older ones.
There is a batting cage at the far end of the field, but no other permanent structures.
You could probably safely practice and play some team sports here under controlled conditions. But 350 kids on break each doing their own thing?
I don't think so.
The Address: 55 Woodington Avenue, Toronto, ON M43 3J3, Canada
Obligatory wisdom from George Carlin. It's only a matter of time before idly standing around is banned.
The comment subject say "Public Education at it's Best". its is the correct word. Of course nobody reads the comment subjects, that's why you missed it.
Children will need to get permission from the tag-ee prior to tagging them as 'it'.
Head injuries account for between 4% and 22% of all soccer injuries.
In soccer, concussions make up 2-3% of all injuries. This is the same rate as for American football!
A study involving men's and women's college soccer teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference found a total of 29 concussions in a 2-year period. The most common cause of the concussions was when one player's head struck the head of another player. This was also the most common source of concussions in a group of soccer players at the US Olympic Sport Festival in 1993. The second most common cause of concussions occurred when a ball struck a player's head. These head-to-ball concussions happened when a player was hit in the head by a ball kicked from close range. In many cases, the ball traveled so quickly the player did not have time to react. NONE of the concussions were caused by proper heading of the ball. Heading the ball, however, is not without consequences. A player may head the ball many times during practice sessions and about eight times during a game. Many players at the 1993 US Olympic Festival experienced headaches after heading the ball. These headaches lasted from a few seconds to several days.
A Norwegian study found that 35% of 69 Division I soccer players had abnormal electroencephalogram (EEG) patterns. This is more than twice the rate of abnormal EEG patterns in control subjects. Retired soccer players had several brain abnormalities including reduced cortical tissue and increased lateral ventricle size.
Soccer players also seem to perform more poorly than control subjects on some types of IQ tests and many former players (81%) suffer from problems with attention, concentration, and memory. Players who typically head the ball have also been found to have more neurological problems than non-headers. Compared to goalies and midfielders ("non-headers"), forwards and defenders ("headers") performed more poorly on some memory, visual perception and planning tests.
Most of the data come from players at the elite level who have played soccer for many years. Professional soccer players head the ball thousands of times during their careers. There has not been much research on the effects of heading the soccer ball on children or recreational players. Although helmets may protect players from concussions, their usefulness has not been tested. At least one company is selling helmets to be used by children while playing soccer.
So, how can head injuries be reduced and minimized? Here are some recommendations:
Players should have proper instruction on the correct way to head the ball.
The ball should be the appropriate size for the age of the players. Smaller balls are less likely to cause injury. Also, make sure the ball is inflated properly.
Use "no heading" rules for younger players. If a player is not allowed to head the ball, the ball is less likely to hit a player's head.
Use padded goalposts.
Soccer and the Brain
"The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly, is to fill the world with fools." Herbert Spencer
I went to kindergarten at this school and almost drowned while on a class trip, I'm ok with them taking a safety-focused approach.
Why would you give children landmines? You probably peel the 'DO NOT EAT' stickers off of them before you hand them off, too....
HA! I just wasted some of your bandwidth with a frivolous sig!
Why is this relevant news to this site? Has /. become Fark?
This is also an elementary school in the middle of Toronto. It has limited yard space, and hence, not much room for kids to share a relatively small space.
I suppose a ban on hockey is next...