No ball playing for the Ukrainian students

As this sign shows, the students at St. George's Ukrainian Catholic School on Sixth Street near Cooper Union are not allowed to play ball.



Not sure what kind of ball this may be. (Tetherball? Kick ball? Dodge ball? Foosball? Stick ball?) Just ball, OK? The section of the school that houses this sign was opened in 1958. How long after that did the killjoy faculty put up this sign...? How long have these students been deprived of playing ball? (And what is the penalty if they're caught?) Anyway, given what's developing directly across from the school now on Taras Shevchenko Place, I'm sure I could find some people who would arm the students with plenty of bats and balls for recess.