Games deemed 'inappropriate' by Alabama school board
No Red Rover?
Physical education teachers in Alabama should avoid such recess staples as tag, dodgeball and Duck, Duck Goose due to the games' lack of physical stimulation and high chance of embarrassment for students, according to a guidance document from the Alabama State Department of Education.
AUM share sets off social media debate
The documented, first posted two-years ago but updated this week, was shared Tuesday by the Auburn University at Montgomery Physical Education Program and quickly spread on social media. The document has since been removed from the ALSDE website, however, much of it remains in the
Alabama Physical Education Instructional Guide which is still available online.
Inappropriate Activities/Games/Practices
Titled "Inappropriate Activities/Games/Practices," the document lists activities that are "highly recommended and suggested...not be allowed in a physical education program in Alabama." It cites a list of reasons for the warnings, including high likelihood of injury; potential for embarrassment or singling out a student in front of the class or focus on eliminating a student from participation; or over emphasis on fun with no purpose or objective.
ALSDE inappropriate activities
The front page of the now-deleted post titled "Alabama State Department of Education Inappropriate Activities."
From the Alabama Physical Education Instruction Guide
List of non-recommended games included in the Alabama Physical Education Instruction Guide. The guide is dated 2011 and was last modified in 2015. It is the
only course of study listed on ALSDE's website for PE instruction.
Yoga Journal Conference
Yoga
The first activity on the list is yoga. In 1993, Alabama lawmakers passed
a law prohibiting the teaching of yoga in schools, citing a connection between the practice and Hindu religious training. In 2006, then
Superintendent Dr. Joseph Morton sent a letter to school saying yoga was not to be offered during regular school hours or after school hours to students on any public school campus in Alabama.
Duck, duck, goose
What ALSDE had to say: "A game of minimal participation, the chosen "goose" attempts to get up from a sitting position and try to catch the "ducker" who only has to go about 60 feet and already had a full running head start. Everyone else just sits and screams at ear-shattering pitch and decibel levels."
Dodgeball
The avoid list included Dodgeball, or any variation of the game.
"There are no standards in the Alabama Court of Study: Physical Education for any grade that supports/justifies this activity...where a student or students are targets of thrown objects."
Giants, Elves and Wizards
Also known as Cranes and Crows, the game is similar to team tag.
"Participation time is at a bare minimum, the rules take forever to explain and even then, the students are confused. The game usually ends when two students crash heads together," the ALSDE said.
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