In school, certain items are restricted because they are deemed inappropriate or distracting. Revealing clothing, deemed unfit for school, was banned. Phones, which often led to students simply doomscrolling or texting during class instead of focusing, soon followed. Along with phones went AirPods and other wireless devices. Even walking around campus without identification was flagged as a safety hazard. Now, students must wear their school IDs or face detention. Other restrictions quickly piled up: no outside drinks, no gum in class, and no going to the bathroom without checking in with your ID.
But now that the administration has banned Nee-Dohs, a popular stress toy brand, along with all similar squishies, many are wondering if the bans and restrictions have gone too far. Is the school making a smart decision to remove these supposedly disruptive toys, or have they just stripped students of an effective stress reliever?
Leading up to the Nee-Dohs ban, which went into effect on April 24th, students frequently brought squishies and stress toys to use throughout the day. Both middle and high schoolers utilized them, and it was common to find students passing by in the halls with a Nee-Doh in hand. As the squishy dumpling toy went viral, younger students in the 6th and 7th grades also began bringing them to play with during class.
When they were still allowed at school, they were not always used responsibly. Ms. Luppino, the 6th-grade English teacher, says, “It was a mix. Most times, it was just in their hands while they were fiddling with it, which I am okay with. But some students were unable to sit quietly. They’d throw it, take it from each other, or squeeze really hard. It got worse over time as it became a trend.” While she initially saw the Nee-Dohs being used for focus, which is a large reason as to why she used to encourage the 6th graders to utilize these toys in the classroom, the squishies gradually turned into a distraction.
After these toys were reported to be distracting or causing a mess, the school administration chose to ban them. Under the new policy, students who violate the rule face detention and their toys are confiscated. However, some students feel as though the crackdown was unnecessarily harsh. “In all of my classes, I’ve never seen a Nee-Doh being broken,” 8th-grader Seoah Choi states. “I heard 6th graders bringing in some larger ones, but I never heard of one breaking. I also think they are a lot harder to break, because as they got more popular, they got harder to find, so kids are especially careful not to destroy the ones they have.” Although she saw Nee-Dohs and other squishies in her classroom extremely frequently, Ms. Luppino also says she has only had one Nee-Doh pop in her classroom, and it was relatively easy to clean up. This does not mean she disagrees with the ban, though. In fact, she believes it was still a necessary measure the administration had to enforce because the squishy craze did not seem to be slowing down, and it was growing more distracting by the day.
In the first few days after the toys were banned, Ms. Luppino noticed that the students seemed wilder and more restless than normal. However, this only lasted a few days, and the 6th graders have since adjusted to the new rule. The absence of the toys has not negatively impacted student performance.
Now squishy-less, students like Seoah have had to find alternative ways to relieve anxiety during the school day. Some students fling their pens around or break them apart and rebuild them, while others take out pieces of paper to rip. Ms. Luppino agrees that breaking apart pens is exceedingly common in her classroom, but she has also noticed a few select students using putty nowadays. She notes, “It’s nice that the putty is not messy. It can’t break, and it’s just stretchy when the students play with it.”
As of now, the Nee-Doh ban is still going strong. Although it has been disappointing to the students who relied on the squishies to maintain focus and provide comfort, they have since adapted and are now using new stress-relief methods.
