No balls at recess? Must be April 1.
In an elementary school in Ottawa, Canada it's no laughing matter. It seems the school principal banned balls saying they were dangerous and causing injury to students due to the snowy and icy conditions.
Students Moore and Lawlor have given the principal a copy of a petition to bring back balls at recess. Slater said she’ll talk with the students and their parents, but she said balls are still off limits for now.
“It’s really fun with the balls, and right now people are just standing around talking and not getting any exercise, and that’s the whole point of recess,” Moore said. Give this kid a microphone. Clearly he is an articulate and very bright student!
The principal could consider training playground supervisors on "Playground Supervision Techniques" which has been shown to decrease injuries significantly. Adminstrators can sign up to preview the online playground supervision course.
More on
Students fight rule banning balls in schoolyard
Join our Right to Recess Campaign and download the free toolkit to bring back recess.