Silly Bandz or Serious Health Hazard?: Rye Schools Clamp Down on Rubber Band Craze

If you have an elementary school student in Rye, you probably have dozens of "silly bandz" in your home – colored and shaped rubber bands and the newest way for your kids to spend money.

And now Rye Schools are warning parents that these "bandz" are not so silly after all: they are causing distractions in school including circulation problems for kids that pile on 10 or 20 or more "silly bandz" on their arm.

In a note sent to parents Thursday, the Osborn Elementary School health office said:

"I am requesting that students wear no more than 2 animal rubber band bracelets on each wrist while at school.   Students are wearing large numbers of bracelets, and they can become tangled together into a tight band.  We have had several students who compromised the circulation in their hands, causing swelling, discoloration and pain.  In addition to being a safety issue, they are becoming a nuisance  and a distraction to the learning environment."

Similar notes have been sent by other Rye schools.

Note: these "silly bandz" are not so silly in another way. A pack of 24 cost $4.95 which according to our calculations is about 99% pure margin.