Fidget Spinners — the cheap toy that became a national phenomenon for reasons nobody can seem to explain — have been banned by at least one Lee County school.
Parents of students at B.T. Bullock Elementary School in Sanford received a text message from the school today saying the pocked-sized addictive play-thingies were no longer allowed on campus. UPDATE (3:45 p.m.): Deep River Elementary sent a letter home to parents this week also banning the toys. SanLee Middle School and Tramway Elementary School have also reportedly banned them, according to parents on Facebook.
BTB Community: We will no longer be allowing fidget spinners at school effective May 17. They are causing a disruption to the school environment.
Stallion Nation (SanLee): PLEASE LEAVE FIDGET SPINNERS AT HOME! We need to focus on learning at SLMS. Fidget Spinners will be treated as toys at SanLee beginning 5/15/17. The spinners will not be allowed out in classrooms because of possible disturbance and/or distractions which may be caused to the learning environment.
If you’re unfamiliar with these tiny demonic devices, here’s a quick course on Fidget history: they’re usually about three inches in diameter, and they spin. They’ve actually been around for years — proven to be effective tools for children with autism, because they can help them concentrate. But recently, they became trendy, and now just about every kid has one, it seems. (Editor’s Note: Not mine, though, because I’m a horrible parent)
Bullock isn’t the first school to ban them, nor will it be the last.
We’ll update if we get word of other local schools joining in the Fidget ban.