Fidget craze spinning out of control with popularity in schools

It’s a new craze that no one saw coming. Fidget spinners. A gadget that is meant to help children with autism and attention disorders to help them concentrate, but now has reached a wider audience.

There have been several reports this gadget has caused major distractions in the classroom, and have been banned in schools in the U.K. and throughout the United States.

While the bans haven’t reached the Borderland, teachers are still weary about using this toy in the classroom. P.E. Coach, Joshua Nunn, with Dowell Elementary School said he thinks there are more negative aspects for using this device.

“They have a lot of good things for kids that have attention disorders,” Nunn said. “It helps calm them and keep them relaxed, but on the downside it can be a distraction to the kid next to them that is trying to pay attention and sees something spinning around.”

But former teacher Araceli Acosta, said she thinks this new craze shouldn’t provide too much of a distraction and if it did, the teacher has the power to take the device away.

“I think it will be a little bit of a distraction,” Acosta said. “But I think teachers can manage.”

ABC-7 has learned the fidget spinners have not been banned in schools here in the Borderland and in Las Cruces. EPISD released a statement saying, “We have made no district wide conversations about the fidgets. However, decisions can be made on a campus by campus basis.”

While the Fabens school district does not see the spinners as a distraction for now. The district also released a statement that read, “We do not have policy regarding fidgets and they have not been an issue. We have not had any occurrences where any complaints have arisen due to fidgets.”

For now, this “concentration aide” is still permissible in classes throughout El Paso schools. But it’s advised to be discreet, so your school doesn’t join the long list of those that have banned this addictive craze.