A ban on tag at a Madison elementary school has been lifted after students petitioned to get their beloved game reinstated.

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Ban Lifted On Game Of Tag

School officials have given staff at Randall Elementary new "safe tag" rules, which they will discuss with students Tuesday. Tag should be back up and running by the next recess.

Principal Marianne Moss banned tag two weeks ago at the Regent Street school, saying it was too violent. Students said it's fun and they wanted it back, so they organized.

"We had some situations where children were playing unsafely," Moss said. "That's why we put a temporary halt to tag."

A shy student decided to speak up.

"I was mad," Olivia Lichterman told News 3. "Most kids can't focus well when they don't get exercise, and kids who don't have football, they all play tag."

Her mom thought the ban was ridiculous.

"There's got to be something more going on," Nina Eliasoph said. "You can't just be banning tag, because tag is sort of a rite of childhood."

She said her daugter "was really outraged, and wrote a petition at school, and then revised it at home."

A News 3 investigation revealed a few third-grade students were creating problems, sometimes in the hallways after recess.

"They were naming who was going to be 'it' for the next game of tag," Moss said. "As a result of that, kids were knocked to the floor, and hurt. This wasn't major just a few children, but we needed to stop it before people did get hurt."

Olivia's petition stated football is actually more dangerous than tag, and tag is really a great community building tool where you often meet new friends.

"Everybody wanted to sign it," Olivia said.

Moss said Olivia's petition got her attention.

Now that a two-week time out has been taken to review safety rules, it's been decided tag can commence again Tuesday. However, there's to be no pushing, tripping, or shoving and only "safe tag" touching.

Olivia said she's relieved.

"But I wish everybody would stop bugging me about it," she said.

She didn't want attention, but did feel strongly that in order to petition for change someone needed to stand up, and she decided she was "it."

Moss said the temporary ban will be worth it if it gets students to step back and think about how they can play more safely and peacefully.