A popular past time for students on campus has come under fire from school administration as playing cards is “banned” from school.

“Card playing in class is not an appropriate use of student time,” assistant principal Bruce Coachman said. “It is also not an acceptable activity for teachers to plan or allow. If teachers are allowing card playing and students are playing cards then we are not teaching, reviewing, practicing or assessing the curriculum. Card playing is not in the curriculum for any courses at LHS. Statistics or math classes may use certain card games as examples of statistical odds but they then should be written in to the curriculum and be part of the lessons.”

The administration also feels that card playing will interfere with school learning.

“If teachers are allowing card playing then they are not managing a class that is addressing learning goals and curriculum content,” Coachman said. “It hinders learning because the students are not engaged in class for what they are there for. It is a distraction because it is an activity that is not part of any curriculum or learning goal.”

The “ban” has been in effect for a while, but is news to some students.

“I thought it was fine because it was the end of the year and we were doing less and less,” freshman Shelby Hughes said. “I thought playing cards in class was fine if we were not doing anything.”