<p><a href=“http://www.walb.com/Global/story.asp?S=5555663&nav=5kZQ[/url]”>http://www.walb.com/Global/story.asp?S=5555663&nav=5kZQ</a></p>
<p>Pretty kooky.</p>
<p>At my kids school, on the 1st day of class at an assembly, the headmaster informed all students that frisbee was banned as “too dangerous” on campus because a student last year ended up badly hurt in the ER when his hand hit a piece of metal when he was diving to catch a frisbee. My D was very indignant, but they CAN still play if they go out to a larger open area by the school stadium (it is a bit too crowded where they had been playing on campus–an accident waiting to happen).</p>
<p>Yes, the lawyers have taken over school administration.</p>
<p>Next, they won’t be able to walk around with freshly sharpened pencils. Someone might put an eye out with that thing!</p>
<p>Well, how deep are the pockets? My local SD is being sued for 25 million along with the county for another 25 million for an accident where the student stepped in front of a bus at 6:30 am dressed in all black with headphones and the police listed the student at fault. Student did get pretty messed up, but survived and missed about half a year. </p>
<p>So the family won’t collect 50 million, but they will probably settle for 10-15 million. Another kid collected 7 million a few years back for getting hit in the head with a javelin while cutting across the field during competition.</p>
<p>So unfortunately, school districts have to say NO to alot of things anymore because you can be sued and lose for the other person being stupid.</p>
<p>When my youngest son was in elementary school just a few years ago we wanted to buy a new piece of equipment for the school playground. We came up with several safe looking climbing things but every one was vetoed by the school district for safety reasons. I seriously suggested to the Principal that we submit a small stadium so the children could sit and stare at each other. Finally, they installed a couple of picnic tables with built in chess/checker boards.</p>
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I’m surprised the thrower of the javelin didn’t sue for mental anguish having realized s/he had just harmed someone. Some lawyer missed an opportunity!</p>
<p>My daughter’s school eliminated tag, as well as most of the decent playground climbing equipment last year, for fear of injuries, and who knows what. Instead, the kids stood around on the blacktop, and there weren’t even enough balls or jumpropes.</p>
<p>It was ridiculous. She’s in private school now, where they can even go sledding.</p>
<p>I once organized a group of parents to donate their time planting azalea bushes alongside a school stairway that was plagued with soil errosion. It was knocked down for two reasons: Insurance concerns & union infringement. Can’t have any volunteers taking a nice overtime check away form the maintenance staff…</p>
<p>Ten years later the soil is still erroding. In hindsight, I learned that with PTO matters, it is much smarter to beg forgiveness than ask permission.</p>
<p>A post above lays this at the feet of lawyers. I think it is more to do with over protective and over bearing parents who want to guide, insure and try to guarantee some perfect Disney World childhood for their kids. Tag, before it dodge ball and most every form of competitive sports are being banned right and left in phys. ed. classes around the country. The approach has become that unless you choose to go out for competitive sports, general P.E. activities must be strictly “participatory” and not competitive.</p>
<p>Several school districts now require teachers to grad papers in pastel colors because red is now viewed to be too harsh. In many respects we are raising a generation of veal.</p>
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<p>Tell me it ain’t so! And people wonder why kids are fat nowadays!!!</p>
<p>I don’t agree, bullwinkle. Kids can sit out if an overprotective mom is worried. These decisions are based on fear of lawsuits. And with good reason, as our litigious society proves.</p>
<p>“In many respects we are raising a generation of veal.”</p>
<p>I absolutely love this statement on so many levels. I’m going to savor it for the rest of the day.</p>
<p>In fairness, the blame should probably be shared around among (a) the lawyers who advise (accurately, more’s the pity) about potential risks, (b) gutless administrators and policymakers for whom any risk, however small, is unacceptable risk, (c) legislators and board members who fail to fund adequate risk reserves or insurance, (d) (if applicable) insurance companies who condition coverage on very restrictive risk-mitigation practices and settle every lawsuit that comes along rather than gambling on getting a defense verdict, (e) victims and their lawyers who look to schools and other public institutions for big paydays when someone gets hurt, (f) judges and juries who let them win sometimes, and (g) state legislators who vote down tort reform because they raise money from the trial lawyers. It’s a big system, and everyone has to cooperate to make it work.</p>
<p>I have to “amend” my remarks and in agreement with JHS. There are a multiple of reasons for this circumstance and certainly, litigation, insurance issues etc. are part of it, without question. </p>
<p>I still think a major issue is the protective parent and in particular when it comes to sports and related activities they don’t simply want to protect their children from injury, but also from competition and their perception of the
'pain" of failure that can come from competition.to this end, parents have very different views than kids do about competition, winning/losing, etc. </p>
<p>In any event, I think far too often it is from misplaced parental concern that the red pen can’t be used anymore to correct papers. It is from that that our local little league has had a push that kids not be called “out” in t-ball for fear of the trauma this will cause them.</p>
<p>I don’t think kids are all that fragile and this era of control, the “play date”, etc. is just going too far afield.</p>
<p>“Tell me it ain’t so! And people wonder why kids are fat nowadays!!!”</p>
<p>Well, they have banned cupcakes and unhealthy food at some schools too.</p>
<p>Even though my child has diabetes, I would rather see her just say NO to the cupcakes, and be allowed to exercise during recess. Exercise is critical to children with diabetes. (other children too!)</p>
<p>“It is from that that our local little league has had a push that kids not be called “out” in t-ball for fear of the trauma this will cause them.”</p>
<p>Yes, and in some locations they do not keep score in soccer at certain age levels. (but: Ask any kid what the score is, and they still know!)</p>
<p>Stickershock, I am surprised! (I see by your location you are also in NJ) My wife has organized many large scale landscaping volunteer projects at our local hs, and has received full cooperation and encouragement from administrators. The results have been amazing!</p>
<p>At the elementary school, “boys chase girls” is only permitted if equal time is allotted to “girls chase boys,” and no touching allowed! (Just kidding…that was… a joke… i hope)</p>
<p>Let’s not blame it all on the lawyers. The individuals hiring the lawyers and hoping for big settlements, and the individuals on the juries who are awarding these ridiculous settlements are also to blame.</p>
<p>I’m disgusted! There really are no words to describe the absurdity of these types of policies. We are turning into the most lilly-livered, risk averse nation on the planet. It seems that many middle-class, supposedly “educated” people in America have taken leave of their senses. What kind of message does it send to kids that they can’t undertake anything unless all risk, and any possibility of failure, has been eliminated? No wonder the Muslim extremists believe we Americans don’t have the stomach for sustained conflict—we don’t. When the going get tough, or the least bit risky, many of us will fold like a house of cards, and look for someone to blame, someone to sue.</p>
<p>I believe adversity and competition lead to strength. I hate to see the insidious creeping forward of the idea that it will somehow damage children to compete and then not “win”…so competition is eliminated. </p>
<p>Here is an example of this that drives me nuts and is not in the realm of physical/athletic competition:</p>
<p>Both of my oldest kids did instrumental music in middle and high school. Both went on to receive music scholarships. But NOT because of instruction or motivation they received in middle school. The bands they were in did not have “chairs”…the kids sort of sat where they wanted to sit! I know when I was learning to play an instrument, the competition for chairs and/or moving “up” to a higher part was what drove me to try to get better. Those that did not seek to improve did not. Simple as that. At least in HS, they did have auditions at the beginning of each semester. </p>
<p>I think that is not only silly but counterproductive.</p>
<p>Makes me wonder how this generation will be able to handle the inevitable occurrences of adversity that they will encounter in their lives…</p>
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<p>Well, I believe in competition, but maybe instrumental music isn’t the best place for it. I think that instrumental music teachers have to be sensitive to the fact that students who can afford private lessons have a huge advantage over those who cannot.</p>