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Law 12 Ms. Ripley
Rights and wrongs of school bans
Michelle Hugli, Special to The Leader-Post
Published:Thursday, September 13, 2007
Students and teachers are back in the classroom and the biggest question being debated has nothing to do with Shakespeare, but with fashion and technology: to ban or not to ban?
It seems that schools across North America are debating all sorts of bans, from the obvious (cell phones and mp3 players in class) to the absolutely ridiculous (hoodies, braids and even tag).
When it comes to ensuring safety and security in Canadian schools, teachers and principals need our support in implementing and enforcing policies. Students and teachers need to feel safe at school in order to learn or teach well.
However, common sense must be used to avoid imposing rules that are simply ridiculous. When silly rules are introduced, we start to question the intelligence of the people left in charge of teaching our children.
The most obvious example of a ridiculous rule was the decision by a Halifax school to ban hoodies (or "bunnyhugs"). A hooded sweatshirt is one of the most common items of clothing worn by teenagers today. They're comfortable, practical and, right now, a major fashion trend.
I understand the security concern that arises when a student wears the hood up. Teachers and principals need to know who's in the school at all times. When a student's face is obscured by a hood, that poses a security risk. Fair enough. But a complete ban on hoodies? That's going too far.
After several complaints from students and parents who had already finished their back-to-school shopping, the school immediately compromised. Wearing hoodies is now allowed, but wearing the hood up is not. This is completely reasonable and acceptable. It should have been the solution proposed by the school in the first place. But instead of using common sense, the school resorted to a full ban on the potentially dangerous sweaters.
While a complete ban on hoodies is ridiculous, a ban on other items makes so much sense I can't even believe there's debate over it. Again, it's about using common sense.
Banning items like cell phones and mp3 players from the classroom seems like a no-brainer to me. If a student is wearing earbuds and bobbing his head, or if she's looking down at her phone to send a text message instead of paying attention in class -- it makes sense to restrict these items from the classroom. But I don't understand why this has even been raised as a concern. Weren't these items already restricted by the teachers in charge of their classrooms? Who was letting students use these in class in the first place?
But some schools are, again, taking this even further. Rather than just banning these devices from the classroom, as they should be, a school in St. George, N.B. is banning all mp3 players, cell phones and cameras on school grounds completely. Is this really necessary?
Shouldn't they just be turned off and left in a locker or a backpack during class? I agree that these items don't need to be used in the hallways between classes either, but what's wrong with using your phone or mp3 player during the lunch hour or right after school?
As much as I question the decisions to ban sweaters and cell phones (if they're turned off and left in a locker), they weren't as shocking and ridiculous as some bans being implemented in some schools in the United States.
An elementary school principal in Colorado has banned tag from the school playground. It's a great game for kids, especially in a country where childhood obesity is on the rise. But apparently some kids were being harassed and chased against their will, so they thought the only logical solution was to ban tag.
Why didn't they just deal with the bullying on the playground and let the rest of the kids run around and play?
Another school in the U.S. is banning braids on boys. Now, a 13-year-old Grade 8 student has to choose between cutting his hair or being expelled. I'd like to think that wouldn't happen anywhere in Canada, but now I'm not so sure. Somewhere between English class and biology, common sense got squeezed out of the curriculum here, too.
There are some sweeping bans that make sense in any school, such as peanut butter.
Allergies are serious. A lot of kids are severely allergic to nuts and kids can be messy. So the rest of us just have to comply. No peanut butter sandwiches allowed. Make a ham sandwich instead. Big deal.
Weapons, drugs and cigarettes are also obvious things that should be banned from school grounds. I can't think of anyone who would think it's acceptable to allow them at school.
For the most part, principals and teachers are very reasonable when it comes to these kinds of policies and I don't question that even the most ridiculous rule is born out of genuine care and concern for the safety of students. But every once in a while, some rule just makes you shake your head and wonder: "What were they thinking?"
I'm happy to hear the hoodie rule was reversed. I just hope that as the school year progresses, common sense will continue to make a comeback.