At least one school in the Kyrene School District - Kyrene de la Colina - is banning Silly Bandz, those fun, fun-to-wear, fun-to-trade, and apparently-fun-to-fight-over hair bands that retain various shapes. (I have been fortunate in that none of my school-age kids - one in the Kyrene district - have shown any interest in them. Although, now they might.)
A Google search shows that school bans of the bands have taken off around the country; however, we were unable to find any coverage of such steps to restore playground and classroom order in Arizona. 'Til now.
Now, I'm not saying that it is an incorrect step for Colina Principal Kelvin Inouye to take. It certainly gives teachers, administration, playground supervisors, parents, etc. an additional tool to keep students from getting out of hand. But, I remember when things were banned when I was in school - it just created a black market and a bunch of stealthier students.
Here is the bulk of the letter just received:
Parents and Guardians,
Silly Bandz
Silly Bandz have become a hot new fashion accessory. If you aren’t aware, Silly Bandz are molded silicone wrist bands that come in many different shapes and colors. While Silly Bandz might be fun for your child to collect and trade, they have become a distraction here at school. Teachers were asked to provide input about the level of distraction these bands have become during instruction and it was significant enough that we decided to make a school based decision about whether to allow these bands at school or not. We have seen some conflicts arise because of the trading of these bands out at recess and during lunch time as well.
Starting this week, we are getting the word out that these bands are not allowed at school any more. I will pass the word along to students via the live morning announcements and duty supervisors will begin letting students know today. We appreciate your support with this by not allowing your child to wear or bring any of these bands to school starting tomorrow. Student achievement is our number one focus and anything that interferes with student learning has to be dealt with immediately. Thank you so much for your understanding and your help.
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