Schools
'Not It': Is Charlotte Avenue Tag Policy Kid Friendly?
As a matter of school playground safety policy, tag is not allowed at Charlotte Elementary School.
Another schoolyard fight is brewing over students' rights to play certain games during school hours.
[CLICK HERE TO TAKE A QUICK 'YES' OR 'NO' SURVEY ON TAG AT SCHOOL]
According to this story in the Nashua Telegraph, Charlotte Avenue Elementary Principal Patricia Beaulieu is reinforcing the school's standing policy on the game of tag, after what she describes in a memo posted on the school's website as "numerous injuries," including a broken wrist, according to the Telegraph story.
Nashua Patch stopped by the school Thursday morning, but an office staff member said Beaulieu would not be available for comment, as she was in scheduled meetings all day.
In the meantime, the notice Beaulieu released on the school website is included below.
Earlier this year Windham School District reversed itself on a ban of "human target games," reinstating dodge ball into the curriculum. You can refresh your memory on that story here via Windham Patch in which 10 such games were evaluated for educational value (tag was not among them).
You can click here and scroll through the agenda to see the evaluation, which looked at the following human target games:
- Rescue 911/Doctor Doctor
- Prison Ball (grades 1-2)
- Prison Ball (grades 3-5)
- Drop in the Bucket
- Slaughter
- Cone Ball/Air Attack
- Four Corner Bombardment
- No-out Dodge Ball
- Star Wars (Dr. Dodge Ball)
- Cage Dodgeball
Share your thoughts in the comment field.
-------
Charlotte Ave. Announcements: Recess Rules
Playgrounds offer a chance for children to be active. However, playgrounds also have risks, and numerous injuries have resulted recently on our playground, prompting us to review school playground rules with all students.
As you know, the traditional recess game “tag,” involves one or more players chasing other players in an attempt to "tag" or touch them, usually with their hand. Seems innocent enough, however the force with which students “tag” varies greatly, and this game, in particular, has been banned in many schools in the United States due primarily to concerns about injuries. The other issue with tag is that students are running and not paying attention to where they are going. They are often running through other games and there have been numerous incidents where innocent bystanders have been injured from this type of play.
Our main objective is to keep all children safe on the playground. At the beginning of the school year, both Mr. Rivard and Mrs. Paul discussed playground games with students that are both appropriate and enjoyable. On Monday, 10/7/13 they will be meeting with all grade levels again to review these games.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
