'Rape Tag' Playground Game Upsets Minnesota Parents (VIDEO)

Parents are outraged after nearly two dozen 5th graders at Washington Elementary School in New Ulm, Minn., were caught playing a game called "rape tag," WCCO TV reports.

In the game, children "tag" each other by grabbing other students' private parts, according to the report.

Greg Diehl of a Rape & Abuse Crisis Center told WDAY TV he's shocked by the game.

"So much of it is inappropriate for their age, their stage of development," Diehl told the station.

The station gave a breakdown of the game's apparent rules:

"Our research finds if you are "it", you are the rapist. Instead of saying "you're it", you say "Rape," and you get points for touching people on certain body parts."

The controversy began when a parent witnessed the game and contacted the school's principal, Bill Sprung, who immediately took action, reports KEYC TV in neighboring Mankato, Minn.

"I contacted fifth grade teachers, they all spoke to their classes and at that point I also notified all the recess supervisors," Sprung told the station.

After sending a letter home to parents addressing the incident, Sprung told MSNBC that he's been contacted by around 15 to 20 parents also wanting to voice their concerns. The principal went on to say that there have been no more occurrences of the game at the school, and that they have not needed to increase monitors during the break.

Scroll through Sprung's letter to parents, courtesy of MSNBC:

WATCH: