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“They have been trying very hard for a long time to get kids to stop throwing balls so hard and it wasn’t working, so [the principal] just had to ramp up the policy,” Ms. Cary-Meagher said.

Chris Stateski’s six-year-old son, Jacob, used to bring his soccer ball, football and hockey equipment to school to play with friends at recess. “He was crushed when he found out about this rule,” he said. “It was like finding out his pet goldfish died. He was devastated. He wanted to change schools.”

Last year, Jacob broke his arm in two places after an accident playing soccer in the schoolyard that the father chalked up to the perils of childhood. “I haven’t come across an adult or child yet who hasn’t had a scrape, a bump or a bruise in their lifetime doing activities, whether it’s in a schoolyard or in an organized league somewhere,” Mr. Stateski said. “It’s not about safety. If it was about safety they would put pillows all over the schoolyard in case a child falls.”

Anna Caputo, a spokeswoman for the school board, said the ban was actually a long-standing policy at the school that had stopped being enforced until someone got hurt. “Some parents will say it’s extreme and some may agree [the principal] had to quickly implement something that will address the situation at the school to avoid the further risk of injury to the students,” she said.

The Toronto school isn’t the only one to ban balls over concern for student safety. Last year, an Ottawa public school banned balls on the playground during winter. In June, a public school St. Catharines, Ont., banned balls after a girl got hit in the head while watching a schoolyard soccer game. Both bans were overturned after students at the schools started a petition.