HOUSTON – Fidget spinners are the hot new toy, and they’ve become so popular that many schools are banning them, saying they’ve become a classroom distraction.
A Fort Bend Independent School District school is now among those schools. A viewer submitted a letter to KPRC 2 that was sent out to parents of Palmer Elementary on Tuesday, explaining how the toys will be handled:
Recommended Videos
We need your help. We have noticed an increase in our Palmer Bears bringing a popular toy to school called the fidget spinner. While these spinners have some benefits, we have found that they are distracting to other students and students are not using them in a safe manner. If your child has a fidget spinner, please make sure he or she leaves it home. If your child is found playing with a fidget spinner in school, we will collect it and return it your child at the end of the day. If your child is found playing with a spinner a second time, it will be collected and returned to your child at the end of the school year. Thanks for your help with this matter.
The toys are promoted by their makers as helpful to people with ADD, ADHD, anxiety, and autism. The Amazon.com best-seller page is now dominated with these products, which range in price from about $4 to more than $20.
KPRC 2 asked Fort Bend ISD for comment about how the schools in the district would handle medical requests. A district spokesperson released this statement:
Our teachers and campus administrators are committed to supporting all students’ individual needs, and work with parents on a case-by-case basis. Parents are encouraged to reach out to their child’s teacher or principal if they believe their child is in need of any kind of additional assistance or support.
It's unclear whether other area schools have also banned the toys.