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BANNED M
A look at why some seemingly innocent items are banned at schools. BY ANDREA STETSON
ore than 65 comments quickly accumulated on a Facebook post when one angry mom wrote about her frustration about the banning of hair scrunchies at her daughter’s middle school in Lee County. Others responded about bans on water bottles and other seemingly innocuous items. Sure, everyone knows that weapons are banned at schools and that dress codes ban things such as spaghetti strap tops or too short shorts. But schools in both Lee and Collier counties also ban items that become a distraction or a safety hazard that surprise some parents. In some Lee County public schools, only disposable, clear plastic water bottles are allowed. In some Collier County public schools only hard-sided, reusable water bottles are permitted. These are totally different rules for totally different reasons. “Some middle schools have had to prohibit the plastic, oneuse water bottles. So instead the kids can bring in their own refillable water bottles. It is mostly at the middle school level,” says Rachel Dawes, director of student relations for Collier County Public Schools.
The reason is students were squeezing and playing with the bottles, making crunching noises that distracted lessons. At one time some students punched holes in the cap and squeezed the bottles, squirting water at each other. Those distractions prompted the ban.
In Lee County, school officials wanted the clear plastic bottles, so they could better see and monitor the liquid inside to make sure it really is water. “They just prefer clear water bottles to be able to quickly examine what is in it — just line of sight,” says Rob Spicker, assistant director of media relations and public information for Lee County Public Schools. “They are actually sold at school.”
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA PARENT & CHILD » MAY 2020 » 27
