The folks in charge at Coghlan Fundamental Elementary School in Aldergrove must have been five years old once, but they have clearly forgotten what it鈥檚 like to be in kindergarten.
In a move that is sure to make the list of top 10 most laughable examples of bureaucratic nonsense, the school has sent a letter to parents of its kindergarten students advising that the little ones are forbidden to touch each other. After some injuries on the playground, the school 鈥渦nfortunately had to ban all forms of hands-on play for the immediate future.鈥�
That includes playing tag and holding hands.
If the school officials are smart, they will claim that 鈥� like Toronto Mayor Rob Ford 鈥� they were in a 鈥渄runken stupor鈥� and don鈥檛 recall writing the note. It鈥檚 hard to imagine a sober person concocting such a notion without bursting into laughter.
At five years old, children are in their first experience of school. They have jumped head-first into the thrill of exploring the world and the people around them. They are full of life and energy and innocence that adults wish they could recapture.
Forcing the little explorers to sit in class and pay attention is hard enough. Tying their hands at recess is akin to torture.
We suspect that a litigious parent has frightened the school into the ban. If so, school administrators have over-reacted.
Young children run, jump, fall down and play games. Sometimes they get hurt, as we all did at their age. If there is malicious intent, the school and parents can discipline the offenders.
Otherwise, let children be children.
