Balls are no longer allowed on the schoolyard of an Ottawa elementary school.

The principal of D. Roy Kennedy Public School said she decided to ban balls in the winter because she wanted to keep the playground safe.

"What cued it was a rash of incidents, serious incidents, including a concussion. One student was hit in the eye, so this is a very serious thing," said Dana Slater, principal of D. Roy Kennedy.

Two students are now fighting back with a school-wide petition aiming to get rid of the ban.

"Over the past few months there was a rule about no balls, so I thought it was not the best rule so I started this petition," said Miles Lawlor.

Many parents are also calling the rule an overreaction: "There is risk in everything - playing tag, walking up stairs, but I don't think trying to achieve zero-risk is possible," said Martha Hodgson, the mother of one of the boys behind the petition.

The principal now says she's open to lifting the ban, and is asking for the boys to bring forward a proposal to come up with a solution.

With a report from CTV Ottawa's Kimothy Walker