Taking safety to extremes By Michael Zwaagstra Safety first,
common sense last. That seems to be the motto when it comes to
public schools these days. Earlier this month, the principal of
Earl Beatty Public School in Toronto sent a letter to parents
informing them that hard balls such as soccer balls,
volleyballs, tennis balls, and footballs were now banned from
school property. "Any balls brought will be confiscated and may
be retrieved by parents from the office. The only kind of ball
allowed with be nerf balls or sponge balls," explained the
letter. Although the Earl Beatty principal's decision is
extreme, it is typical of the lack of common sense in public
schools. Such an overarching emphasis on student safety makes
little allowance for any activity that involves some level of
risk and results in nonsensical decisions such as the one
described above. The trend toward safer but blander school
playgrounds reflects an obsession with safety. Most adults today
probably remember playing on the merry-go-round a