Students at a Massachusetts middle school are no longer allowed to bring in fidget spinners, toys advertised for stress relief and improvement of attention span.
A middle school in Pepperell, Massachusetts, has banned handheld toys called "fidget spinners" from its classrooms.
A figet spinner is a three-pronged piece of plastic and metal that has children dragging their parents to the closest stores.
It works by pinching the spinner in the middle and then hitting a prong. That's it. It's advertised as a way to lower stress and increase attention span.
"My son said everyone has them," said Travis Wold from Pepperell, in the checkout line with his daughter. "Stress relief? Sounds good."
Nissitissit Middle School administrators say the spinning has gotten out of control.
"We had hula hoops, pet rocks, Rubik's cube," recalled Steve Themelis from Pepperell of his childhood toys.
In a blog posted on the middle school's website, the spinners are called "highly distracting to students and those around them."
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The blog was posted by "Mrs. Young."
"Students should not bring them to school," she wrote.
At Lorden's Hardware in Pepperell, the spinners are in stock.
The store's owner, Jim Kimball, says the ban has boosted the toy's popularity.
"It's probably driven sales up," said Kimball. "It's probably like back in the 80s when they put restrictions on records. You're not supposed to have them, now everyone wants them."
A school principal in Lowell says they are also taking them away from students in the classroom.
The spinners are available are some at stores such as Five Below, 7-Eleven and Tedeschi. They cost about $8.
