Everybody knows the game. A group of children gathers in a field or the center of a playground and chooses one person to be “it.” Then the group scatters and the subsequent pursuit ensues until the shrill of the school bell ends the game until the next recess. Unfortunately, some school administrators feel this game is more than just child’s play.

According to an article from the Associated Press, one school in Colorado Springs, Colo., banned children from playing the staple playground game of tag. School officials claim the game caused conflict on the playground.

Even though the school still allows children to run on the playground, as long as they are not chasing each other, the banning of tag is only a temporary fix to what could be a more important and serious underlying problem of bullying.

If the school bans the game of tag because of harassment issues, those issues will move into other games and situations on the playground, causing the school to ban those activities as well.

If the children are playing the game correctly, there shouldn’t be any problems with harassment or children being chased against their will.

Instead of this bandage approach to the apparent harassment and bullying issues, the school should implement more in-depth solutions. Playground monitors who watch to make sure harassment and bullying doesn’t occur, and that children play the game correctly, would help curb the problems more efficiently than an all-out ban. Educational programs teaching about the detrimental effects of bullying and harassment would be a more positive solution to the issue at hand than a ban of a classic childhood game.

The issue is easy to make fun of and issues of harassment and bullying are very serious and need solutions. However, banning tag to solve those problems is absurd. Adults cannot keep bubble-wrapping children. It’s good to be concerned about children’s safety and well being, but it may be damaging to their well being by protecting them so much.