Not Allowed to Run at Recess!?!?! WHAT?

I work at an elementary school and believe me, parents will scream over anything, so yes, it very well could be that somebody's kid fell down while running and the parents freaked out. Now nobody can do it.

Yes, kids need to run at recess! We don't have a policy that is that strict, but we do have the zero contact rule. Trust me, we have parents that complain about EVERYTHING, the schools can never win, they will never make everyone happy.

Personally, I would fight this one. I hope you are able to get to the bottom of this. The kids need that release! They need that excercise! Good luck! Please let us know how this turns out.

6 moms found this helpful

We aren't allowed to run at recess here either, mainly because most of our play area is black top. We also have a zero-touch policy--meaning that if the kids what to do any type of tag where there is body-body contact--it's a no-no. Not even hand clapping. My older daughter tried to give her friend a hug when she was in Kdg and I got a phone call about it and she got a written warning in her permanent record over it. I still don't understand this one considering the sports teams the school has in the middle & high schools. This world's going mad if you ask me.

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Nothing surprises me anymore. Since we live in a litigating society EVERYthing is off limits because people SUE all the time. If your kid falls down and gets hurt because he was running somehow ends up being the school's fault. This is why America is FAT.

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maybe they saw this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlEwQJj3gAI

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Really?! No wonder there are so many overweight kids out there.

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Who did you hear this from?

Once you find that out, decide if you want to get all up in arms about this. If it was a kid who was running and not being safe and he was told to "stop running" he might have translated that into "we're not allowed to run at recess". That doesn't mean kids can't run at recess; that means in that particular instance the kid needed to stop because he wasn't being safe.

Like another poster said, there could have been a helicopter parent in the past whose kid skinned a knee while running, so she called the school and picked a fight deeming that running during recess was unsafe and voila! There is the rule change.

Kids should be running at recess and participating in vigorous play. The lack of physical activity is too low and the obesity rate in this country is too high for kids NOT to be exercising.

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I'd like to know more: Did you hear this from your son, or another parent, or directly from a teacher or the school (written in a newsletter, etc.)? If it's your son or even another parent, there may be more to the story that you're not hearing, like there was a week or two of temporary no-run recess after some kids got too wild or something like that. But if you haven't yet, I'd find out from the principal directly.

If it's accurate that all recesses are no-run zones, I'd want to know precisely why. Is it because, as another person who posted mentioned, the entire play area is "blacktop" or paved, and they fear kids falling on the hard surface? Was there some specific incident or injury that made them stop all running for everyone? Was there a lawsuit from a family whose kid got hurt? Is this a policy just for your one school, or your child's one class, or for all classes at the school, or all schools in the district? You may already know all this and just didn't mention it in the post. But those are all questions I'd have.

Once you have the answers, you can protest it even better. I wonder if it's truly no running at all, ever, or if instead it's really a ban on running games like tag. I have not heard of a no-running-EVER policy, but I have heard of schools banning certain games like tag if those games consistently became rough or ended up as kids just crashing into each other instead of actually playing the game. I'm definitely not defending a no-run policy! But find out exactly why, where and when it all started, then you can dispute it point by point. I think teachers love kids to have a very active recess because it burns off the wiggles.

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this is ridiculous! Kids need to run at appropriate times to burn off the energy that they have, so they can sit still during class. If not, the teachers are going to complain about that too!

Also, people wonder why there are so many kids who are overweight. Well, guess what.

Research has shown that kids to learn to play on their own, without adults setting rules, etc so it's good for them to learn to play fair and compromise on their own.

Fight it!

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At my children's school, the kids are not allowed to talk to each other during lunch. I'm guessing it is because they only have a short time to eat and then recess before going back to class but I just think that it's crazy. Sometimes adults can be very good at taking the fun out of being a kid.

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Yes, this is stupid, lol!

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Are you kidding me?!

This is taking the "we need to protect our children" just a tad bit too far!!! I would fight it tooth and nail!!

It's bad enough that games like Dodge Ball and Tether Ball can't be played anymore - because someone MIGHT get hurt or even worse - THEIR FEELINGS MIGHT GET HURT!!!

PAHLEASE!!! If my kids school did this - I would be SCREAMING for the craziness to stop!!

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That is the craziest thing. I know at in my son's first grade class they have two recesses. He tells me that the second recess is often used as a reward. Everyone wants to go to recess and I think this is a really good incentive. I am sure the teacher appreciates it when the kids gets to go outside and get the ants out of their pants. Did you ask for an explanation?! That seems kind of off the wall to me. You have to remember though that a lot of time it just takes one bad experience to ruin it for everyone. There are so many sue happy people out there that it seems to affect everyone.

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try over at the freerangekids website, they've usually got good ideas. http://freerangekids.wordpress.com/

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find out what the reason is before you go jumping on people and fighting them.

there might be some merrit to it that you just don't know about. or it might be off the wall , and you'll have some good ammo. Or sometimes kids versions are not completely accurate.

Look for solutions

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That is one of the dumbest thing I have ever heard! That is like telling a puppy not to run! Fight it. I don't have any suggestions because I don't know their reasoning behind this. You can tell them that kids have been running at lunch recess for eternity. If it is a medical thing, I would go the Dr.route and get letters saying it is okay to run after lunch.

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Lame sauce! How long has this been in effect? I would have all the parents feed their kids cupcakes and soda pop before school for a week, then when the kids are all hopped up on their sugar high send them to school... Let them keep the kids from running then! lol. (BTW... I'm totally kidding there... I don't have a real suggestion...)

You might circulate a petition amongst the other parents... You could also find a way to meet the school 'halfway'... If their reasoning is that they don't want to be liable should a student be injured, maybe they could start having 'waivers' signed that state that the school is not responsible for injuries resulting from 'normal' play...?

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insanity.
how are they supposed to get their wigglies out if they can't run?
i hate it when the institutions that are supposed to be in charge of our kids have no clue what kids are like.
@@
khairete
S.

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It's been that way for years. Good for you for trying to fight it. Good luck.

It's because they don't want kids to get injured. Probably due to our excessive litigious tendencies. It got so bad when my kids were little that they were barely allowed to swing on the swings at school. I felt the same way as you do.

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And they wonder why our kids have issues with behaivor in class ... they can not run off thier frustrations and energy so they can concentrate better in class... what do they do for PE?

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Recess is fro getting energy out, (not all of it) and having a good time! I am all with you for fighting this! That is ridiculous!

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Maybe it's that they can't run after each other or play tag. That's pretty PC, imo, but better than flat out "no running", which I agree, is ridiculous. Ask for clarification, that just doesn't seem right. If that really is what it is, I would fight it too, maybe a little hint to the local media as well.

1 mom found this helpful

Where my kids go to school they have taken away recess. They get about 10-15 min after lunch to play and that is it. They do get gym ONCE a week too, but I am upset that they took away the morning and afternoon recesss. Kids need time to let their energy go so they can sit still in class. No running is a joke.

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LIke the others said, it depends where you heard this..At my kids school, the little ones are not allowed to run on concrete and I agree with that. It is a matter of safety. Talk to the teachers and ask what the rules are for recess.

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... and what is their reasoning?

I have never heard of that.

Is it because, this is after lunch... and they are afraid if a kid runs, the kid will puke and not digest properly? I am saying that in jest.
I mean, all kids run... whether or not they just ate.

Or maybe some parent made a complaint, and so now the kids cannot run after lunch per after lunch recess.

Who knows.

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Fight it! Oh yes -let's keep them all super safe because the world will end if little Jimmy gets a skinned knee or they play on grass and get dirty! Good lord -they're children! This type of thinking honestly makes me want to puke. Kids need recess and they need to RUN and getting skinned up once in awhile should just be a normal part of all childhoods. I would raise hell with that school and the school board until they got recess where the teachers stood back and the kids ran and played without organization or intervention. There are several movements afoot:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/05/16/national/main##...

And you can also google "bring back recess" and go to the pdf off of the peaceful playgrounds site that has some great tips and ways to approach the PTA and school board. I think some of their ideas and tips would work for your situation.

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Hi, J.J.

Yes, inquire about the particulars. Once you understand the dynamics of the situation, make your decision to confront what is needed.
Good luck.
D.

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It sounds like the school yard people are lazy! Kids are meant to run, run, run at recess so they can get the energy out--in order to be quiet and self-controled in class. It is so important that kids get a chance to physically work their emotions and energy out---its so wrong that they are denying your child this! Fight it and don't take NO for an answer.

M

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Of course they should run around at recess. Isn't that what the black top is for? At least it used to be.

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It is a pretty common rule everywhere. the no running on concrete, blacktop and asphalt. It is for their safety. Especially at this time of year when there is ice and snow. they are not allowed in the grass at this time of year as it is pretty much a soppy muddy mess if the same snow and ice has melted. they are allowed to run in the gym for now. at our kids school the grades wee separated into groups and each group had an area at lunch time. they usually gave the big grassy areas to the boys lol. the blacktop had 4 squares and hopscotches for the girls.

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I think if your up for the fight, go for it and I hope you succeed! This is just ridiculous!

Make sure you ask for clarification...and that they are truly not allowed to run at their recess, just in case....and then I also agree with trying to bring in your local media.

This makes me so mad, but mostly just sad! What is our country coming to, I mean really?!

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