10 Surprising Things Banned in Schools Today:Part 3

10 Surprising Things Banned in Schools Today: #5 and #6

June 25th, 2012 by Staff Writers for onlinecollegcourses.com

While there are many things banned in schools worldwide that should rightly be restricted, many feel that schools are taking regulations too far these days and banning things that can help kids build relationships, have fun, learn, and understand how to function in the real world. They may just have a point. As you read through this list, you'll see more than a few knee-jerk reactions by schools to problems that could have been solved in much more logical and meaningful ways, as well as a few things most of us can't imagine our school days without. More than being surprising, many of these bans are downright ridiculous and draw attention away from far more pressing educational issues. 

5. Holiday parties:

Remember how much fun you had as a kid celebrating Valentine's Day and Halloween with parties? Those parties may be a thing of the past for many school kids today. The reason? Many believe they distract kids from learning and promote unhealthy eating habits. While parties might limit learning on a given day and offer kids more candy and salty snacks than they might normally consume, many opponents of bans say that the parties also help to reward kids for hard work and give them a chance to simply have fun and enjoy themselves with peers (important, given that many schools no longer have recess). The reality is that there are ways to make parties fun and educational and to limit the unhealthy treats that come with them, a more measured approach that some schools are embracing.

6. Competitive games:

While generations of schoolchildren may have made it out of their K-12 educations with self-esteem intact after playing competitive games on the playground and in gym class, these days kids don't get much of a choice in how they get their exercise. Elementary schools in Wyoming, California, Oregon, and Washington are part of the growing trend of schools who are putting the kibosh on traditional games at school because they say they're too dangerous. On the chopping block are soccer, touch football, and tag. These games join dodgeball, which has been banned from many schools for years because it has been deemed unsafe. While dodgeball is an understandable activity to ban, tag and other team sports are far more questionable, and many critics believe that kids shouldn't be discouraged from engaging in any physical activity. Schools point to injuries suffered by students as the reason for the ban, but few statistics exist that point to increased levels of accidents justifying these bans.

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