Toronto Catholic school temporarily bans the game of tag for fear of injuries

TORONTO, Dec. 9 (UPI) -- An elementary school in Toronto has placed a temporary ban on tag and other games after several students suffered injuries.

A spokesperson for the Toronto Catholic District School Board confirmed that tag and other games involving physical contact were no longer allowed at St. Luke Catholic School as of November.

Spokesperson Jon W. Yan cited "a number of injuries" including scrapes, bruises, sprains and in one case a fractured leg.

Yan went on to say that the majority of the injuries stemmed from students playing a more aggressive version of tag.

"The game of tag they were playing was getting overly physical and rough," he said, according to the Toronto Star. "It was tag -- but it was a rough form of tag."

The school has also been enrolled in Canada's Playground Activity Leaders in Schools or PALS program, which instructs students and administrators on safe playground behavior.

One parent questioned the practice on Twitter writing, "So tag and soccer are unsafe activities? What happened to allowing kids to play?"

School board trustee Jo-Ann Davis insisted that "nothing is banned" and stated that the school's principal was simply trying to ensure the safety of the students.

Physical activities currently allowed at St. Luke include "ball tag" and soccer although students below seventh grade must use a softer ball.