Ridgewood School Officials Don't Want Kids Playing Nerf Gun Game

RIDGEWOOD, NJ — Officials are urging village high schoolers not to participate in an annual tournament where they shoot Nerf guns at one another.

Because of the "heightened awareness" of school shootings, including the one in Parkland, Florida where 17 people were killed, the district does not want students participating in "Dart Wars," Ridgewood High School Principal Thomas Gorman said in a letter to parents Monday.

"Although students use Nerf guns during these games, the strategies employed by students to target other teams may be misinterpreted in today's climate," Gorman said in the letter.

"Dart Wars" is not sanctioned by the school or school district. It is one of several non-sanctioned events students participate in, including scavenger hunts, at the school. The school "does not condone these unsanctioned events."

Non-sanctioned events are not monitored by school or district employees.

"To ensure the safety and well-being of all students, legitimate team and club events will always be approved and monitored by a coach, advisor or administrator," Gorman said in the letter. "Parents should counsel their children that students should not participate in unsanctioned activities where there is no apparents supervision."

Gorman said officials have told the Ridgewood Police Department about their concerns about the event.

Dart Wars is reportedly one of the most popular events among students since it was established in the mid 2000s. The tournament pits four-person teams against one another and stats are tracked throughout the monthslong event and prize money awarded that is collected from entry fees, according to The Ridgewood Avenue Journal, an online blog. Prize money has previously been donated to charities and local families.

Entry fees are $15 a player, NorthJersey.com reported. The game is prohibited on school grounds.

Despite the caution urged by Gorman, students are still planning on having the tournament, according to the NorthJersey.com report.

High School senior Ian Dartley said in the report that the game is "very well regulated." Kids who made their guns too lifelike and painted them black received warnings and had them taken away.

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