Toronto school bans use of athletic balls, kids protest

Toronto - A schoolyard ball ban sent kids at Earl Beatty Public School in Toronto into an uproar. "We want our balls back, we want our balls back!" many revolted, as the gathering continued to grow.

Despite being shooed away by supervisors from the edge of the playground fence, the children continued to storm, as they made their cases. “Next they'll say you can't run because kids fall or you can't wear (shoe) laces because kids trip,” said Konstantina Alexiou, 13, a Grade 8 student who has started a petition to get the balls back. Students were sent home with a letter on Monday that said no hard balls would be permitted onto school property, including soccer balls, footballs and even tennis balls. "A few serious incidents" have been blamed for the temporary ban, which was also stated in the note. As a result, the children are now only permitted to play with soft balls, such as Nerf or other sponge balls for sports. The school's principal is scheduled for a press conference this afternoon to speak on the issue. Officials from the Toronto District School Board declined to comment. For now, the ban is thought to be a preventative measure and is being monitored. In the meantime, the social media sphere has reacted with outrage towards the story. 'Ridiculous,' a woman by the Twitter name Emmielou tweeted. 'Unbelievable,' parents advocate Hartley Steinler said similarly. ParicipACTION, a national not for profit organization addressing inactivity issues in kids also expressed concern. "Let them play ball!" they tweeted.