Australian School Bans Children from Playing

Students in St Mary's Primary School, Melbourne, will no longer be allowed to play before the school day begins. The new school rules state that "games will not be permitted...nor any activity on the adventure playground." Many parents have indicated their displeasure with the new system, saying that their kids are very active and they do not want them to "just sit around."

The move is part of the school's new "No-Fun Policy," said acting principal Lorraine Buntz. "Kids are not allowed to run, skip, or do anything," she said. "And that's the way I like it." Buntz said that the new policy is designed to create kids "who do nothing but their schoolwork, because that's what school is all about, hard work and zero fun." When one parent complained that the new rules would "change our kids into inactive, obese zombies," Buntz looked pleased but quickly erased the grin from her face and announced that she would remedy any obesity problem by "not allowing the children to eat any food during the school day."