WPVI in Philadelphia relates the sad state of childhood in the Garden State in Schools Ban Tag, Dodge Ball and Other Games:
Tag, dodge ball and other playground favorites are coming under more scrutiny at many New Jersey schools, as the threat of injuries and lawsuits spurs more districts to ban the games.This just in! Death toll rising from tag game on the 200 block of Maple Street!
In Long Hill, a ban on tag was part of a code of conduct signed by pupils at one of the Morris County district's elementary schools this year. Instead, a modified version of the game is played indoors with plenty of supervision.
"The idea of loosely running around and chasing each other is not safe," Long Hill Superintendent Arthur DiBenedetto told The Star-Ledger of Newark for Monday's editions.
Somehow I avoided signing a "code of conduct" when I was in elementary school. I must have been recovering from my injuries.
Tag is not the only game that has been targeted. Dodge ball, also known as bombardment, was banned at several schools in New Jersey and other states because officials feared that some students were being singled out as targets by bullies.No truth to the rumor that Ms. Klotz was the recipient of numerous noogies in her youth.
"There's potential for some victimization," said Mary Beth Klotz, a psychologist with the National Association of School Psychologists. "Tag may look OK socially, but it can be a double standard because kids can use it to bully a certain student."
