Shine OnNew York City school bans Rainbow Loom bracelets
There's a new threat to our children's learning, according to New York school officials, but it doesn't come in the form of texting, sexting or cyber-bullying.
Nope, it appears the latest cause of contention in the classroom are handmade bracelets.
Reminiscent of the days before cell phones and iPads, the Rainbow Loom has taken over North American schools as the "it" activity of kids aged seven to 13. Available for purchase online and at toy stores, these bracelet kits include a simple plastic loom that children use to weave together small, colourful rubber bands into bracelets. They then trade and sell their handmade crafts amongst each other.
But last week, an elementary school in Manhattan's Upper West Side banned the popular bracelets and their kits, claiming that students play with them during class and fight over them on recess.
Officials from William T. Sherman School (PS 87) sent a letter home informing parents that students are no longer allowed to bring the bracelets or their corresponding kits to school.
Naturally, the ban has received mixed reactions from parents.
“They’re not dangerous, they’re not inappropriate,” mother Lisa Green tells CBS. “Are we going to ban everything that distracts the children?”
But Guthrie Schweitzer disagrees, saying that students who don't have a Rainbow Loom kit can feel left out.
“You also have to be able to play at the playground and not have it be something where one kid has it and another doesn’t," she says.
Her daughter, nine-year-old Willa Schweitzer, admits the bracelets can make it tough to focus in class.
“... When kids are playing with them it just makes me want to watch it,” she says.
In Canada, kits are sold at toy and craft stores, such as Mastermind and Michael's, for under $20.
This isn't the first time a school has cracked down on a seemingly harmless item or activity. Here's a list of some of the most bizarre school bans from the past few years:
2013: An Orthodox Jewish school in NYC banned retro thick-framed glasses, claiming it gave the students a "very coarse look;"
2012: A Brampton, Ont. school banned hugging on school grounds to avoid unwanted touching;
2012: A Pennsylvania middle school banned its students from wearing Ugg boots to class, claiming that students were using them to smuggle in cell phones;
2012: A Tennessee school banned hand-holding because of the possibility of it leading to sexual activity, even going so far as to list demonstrating hand-holding as a fire-able offense for its teachers;
2009: A school in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., came under fire after a mother disputed their long-standing ban on elementary students riding bikes to and from school;
2008: An Australian school banned red ink because the colour was determined to be too negative.
Should schools consider updating the curriculum to make learning more appealing to students, rather than opting to ban seemingly harmless items to ensure students pay attention in class? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.
