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Date Posted: 17:43:02 03/28/01 Wed
Author: Anonymous
Subject: no tags here!

City school bans students from playing tag
By KIMBERLY MARSELAS, Staff Writer
Joseph Pantaleo loves to play tag, but the fifth-grader hasn't figured out a way to do it without touching anyone. The principal of his school, West Annapolis Elementary, outlawed the game in recess last fall because it violates the school's "no touching" policy. A petition drive led by Joseph failed to change her mind.

"They would start up and inevitably it got too rough," Principal Joan Brisco said. "The reason we stopped tag was because we didn't want them getting hurt."

After she received the petition signed by about a dozen students at the 270-student school, Ms. Brisco brought some of them, including Joseph, into her office to discuss the new policy. She also sent home a letter explaining it to parents.

Students may play tag during physical education, if their teacher chooses to lead a group game. Tag is no longer allowed during recess, however, because the game often grew too big and rough for adequate supervision.

But Joseph's father, Dan, said tag should be allowed because other sports with more contact are still played at West Annapolis. "In her mind, it's a safety issue," he said. "But there's more physical interaction in a game of soccer than there is in tag." Huntley Cross, special assistant for alternative programs in county schools, said the principal has final discretion when it comes to safety." A ... principal's ultimate responsibility is not only education, but the health and safety of the students," said Mr. Cross, who led the county's discipline policies until recently. "Kids are rougher today, they really are. It's a judgment call that every principal has to make." While Ms. Brisco referred to a "no touching" policy, Mr. Cross said there is no such policy countywide. He was unaware of any other county schools that don't allow tag.

Although the county's sexual harassment policy does prohibit "unwanted" touching, the concern with elementary school students is primarily rough-housing, which prompted Ms. Brisco to start her policy several years ago.

"There are good touches and bad touches that children are taught," Mr. Cross said. "What we're constantly trying to do is use structured discipline policies and logical consequences to let youngsters know what the rules are."

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