On the playground of a northern Colorado Springs elementary school,
tag is not "it."

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Springs elementary gives tag a timeout
By BRIAN NEWSOME
THE GAZETTE
August 29, 2007 - 4:05PM

The touch-and-run game and any other form of chasing was banned this
year at Discovery Canyon Campus' elementary school by administrators
who say it fuels schoolyard disputes.

"It causes a lot of conflict on the playground," said Assistant
Principal Cindy Fesgen. In the first days of school, before tag was
banned, she said students would complain to her about being chased or
harassed.

Fesgen said she would hear: "Well, I don't want to be chased, but he
won't stop chasing me, or she won't stop chasing me."

Fesgen said two parents complained to her about the demise of tag, but
she said that generally, parents and children didn't fuss about the
new rules. Running games are still OK, she said, as long as students
don't run after one another.

The Academy School District 20 elementary school isn't the first in
the Pikes Peak region to take issue with traditional recess games.

In 2005, two elementaries in Falcon School District 49 adopted a
structured recess program, Trouble-Free Playground, that did away with
games like tag in favor of alternative activities that cut down on
physical contact. Evans and Meridian Ranch elementaries said the
program encouraged more students to play games and helped reduce
playground squabbles.

Nationally, several schools have done away with tag and other games
because of the accidents and arguments they can lead to. It's a trend
that has rankled some parents and childhood experts who say games such
as tag contribute to children's social and physical development.

Fesgen, who has supervised playgrounds for more than 20 years, said
this is not the first school where she's restricted chase games. She
still believes in free play. Students can run races and run around
with friends, she said.

"There is plenty for them to do," she said.

DETAILS

In 2005, two elementaries in Falcon School District 49 adopted a
structured recess program, Trouble-Free Playground, that did away with
chasing games in favor of other activities that cut down on physical
contact. Evans and Meridian Ranch elementaries said the program helped
reduce playground squabbles.