An elementary-school playground in the Netherlands was forced to close because children were making too much noise while playing, a report said Tuesday.
The school in Nijmegen will have until the end of October to ban children from the playground or they’ll be fined, the BBC reported.
Residents in the neighborhood complained that the noise threshold for the residential area was greatly exceeded by the children, according to the report.
The move has touched off a fierce debate, with the director of the elementary school calling it “unfair” to the children.
“It’s a bizarre situation, and it is absolutely unfair to the children,” the director told the de Volkskrant newspaper.
“Especially now we’re constantly being told that children have to go outside and exercise more.”
Opponents of the playground argue the students were causing a noise level of 88 decibels, exceeding the 70-decibel limit in residential areas.