Tag is too dangerous.

That’s the lesson one New Hampshire elementary school is teaching as it bans the timeless kids’ game from its playground at recess time:

It’s a tough world out there, kids. You don’t want to be involved in “it.”

On the school’s website, Principal Patricia Beaulieu explained her rationale for the decision at Charlotte Avenue Elementary School in Nashua, N.H.

“As you know, the traditional recess game ‘tag,’ involves one or more chasing other players in an attempt to ‘tag’ or touch them, usually with their hand,” Beaulieu wrote, helpfully explaining exactly what the game of “tag” involves.

“The 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.”

Hard as it is to believe that kids in a recess yard would actually run without paying attention to where they’re going – are they crazy in New Hampshire, or what? – these tag-crazed maniacs are even running through other games, putting “innocent bystanders” at risk.  (Those girls jumping rope, probably. The ones who color inside the lines, too.)

“We want them running, we want them jumping and releasing the energy, but just in a safe way,” Beaulieu told the Telegraph.

In fairness, Charlotte Avenue isn’t the first school to ban seemingly innocent activities like tag. (And there probably hasn’t been a game of “Chinese charged” played in America in two generations.) As long as there are kids, there will be adults trying to make them look where they’re running – and making themselves look foolish while they’re at it.

At least one parent the Telegraph talked to wasn’t happy with the rule.

“I think it’s political correctness,” said Bill Chisholm, 43, who has a fourth-grade son at the school.

“I don’t think this decision is unique to Charlotte Ave.’s principal or to Nashua; I think it’s a trend that’s nationwide that people tend to overreact to this type of thing. I think people need to speak up and say, ‘This is wrong.’ We need to let kids be kids.”

What, and run around not looking where they’re going? At recess?

Chisholm just doesn’t get it.

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Joe Saunders

Joe Saunders, a 25-year newspaper veteran, is a staff writer and editor for BizPac Review who lives in Tallahassee and covers capital and Florida politics. Email Joe at [email protected].

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