School Dangers

As I think about kids heading back to public schools I have several concerns:

LOSING OUR CHILDHOOD PLAY

• 40% of elementary schools are or have considered eliminating or reducing recess time at a time when childhood obesity is an epidemic.

SCHOOL VIOLENCE PERPETRATED BY SCHOOLS

• Over 200,000 students were hit, sometimes beaten, by school staff during the 2006-2007 school year.
• Children with disabilities were more likely to receive these forms of physical discipline. Many of these children suffered from autism or autism-spectrum type disabilities.
• Corporal punishment is legal in schools in 20 states, but is outlawed in most juvenile correction facilities.
• The American Psychological Association, among other groups, has adopted resolutions to official oppose corporal punishment because of deleterious effects and human rights concerns.

SCHOOL VIOLENCE AND BULLYING

• 90% of students in 4th through 8th grade report being victimized by bullying of some kind

POSITIVE ACTIONS: Thankfully there are some things we can all do.

• Help ensure your school creates policies around positive disciplinary approaches, rather than corporal punishment.
• Get a kid to support peaceful playgrounds or host play dates in your community.
• Support the International Play Association's declaration of a child's right to play.
• Check out these ideas and resources for movement, play, and physical activity for children.
• Support the Alliance for Childhood efforts to restore childhood play in kindergarten, reduce childhood obesity, moderate computer use and standardized testing, and fight commercialization of childhood.
• Get educated about bullying and help implement successful bully-prevention programs in your school such as "Steps to Respect."