Lack of playground equipment at several Shawnee Mission schools worries parents

They’ll be getting new school buildings soon, but the temporary lack of playgrounds during construction at four Shawnee Mission district elementary schools has caused some concern among some parents.

When the district decided to redo Trailwood, Crestview, Briarwood and Rhein Benninghoven schools, the buildings themselves got most of the initial attention. But as the year has progressed — with construction taking place in some cases on the same lot as the original schools — some parents have been worrying about the effect of a lack of playground space and equipment on their kids.

They’ve also questioned why the original equipment was demolished rather than being reinstalled or resold.

“My take on it was that a year is a long time for children not to have access to actual playground equipment,” said Malinda Sutton, who has two kids at Trailwood Elementary in Overland Park. She added that the district should have made better provisions ahead of time.

Playground space changed to make room for construction at the four schools. Briarwood and Crestview students were relocated to other district buildings during construction, but Trailwood and Rhein Benninghoven students continued to attend in their original buildings as construction went on nearby.

Playground space had to be reconfigured as the new buildings went up, said district representatives. That also meant removing the existing equipment. In the meantime, the district brought in more portable games equipment like soccer goals and basketball hoops.

“Staff and students are doing a great job in the interim of adjusting,” for the changing space for play, said district spokeswoman Leigh Anne Neal.

But some parents at Trailwood said the district should have planned better. Sutton said team sports equipment can be monopolized by some kids and leaves out others who are not as oriented to team activities. “For kids who are not as social, a swing set is a safe haven,” she said.

She added that equipment has been so scarce at times that kids have gotten into fights over rocks and sticks they were playing with.

The school board approved a $1.1 million purchase for new equipment, turf and court painting, but it may not all be ready by move-in time, said Bob Robinson, executive director of support services for the district. When equipment is ready depends on the site grading and other work that will happen after the buildings are completed, he said.

The district will spend roughly $280,000 for each school.

Most existing playground equipment at the schools was installed during the 1990s, although there were some newer pieces, Robinson said. The district can sometimes save working pieces for parts, but changing safety standards make it necessary to get rid of much of it, he said.

Those standards have mostly to do with the thickness of the mulch and the area underneath the equipment in case of a fall, he said. Because of liability, the old equipment can be demolished and recycled, but not sold to another user.

Sutton said she isn’t as bothered by the equipment demolition as what she called the lack of planning for interim equipment. Last year Trailwood had a row of swings and a climbing structure.

“We had one of the best spaces around. Now it’s just a field. I wouldn’t say they’re getting their motor needs met,” Sutton said. The school is supposed to have equipment for pre-school and Kindergarten kids early next year, she said.

Meanwhile construction is nearing completion at the four schools. Moving dates are during winter break for Briarwood and Trailwood, spring break for Crestview and summer break for Rhein Benninghoven.

This story was originally published November 16, 2016 at 9:50 AM with the headline "Lack of playground equipment at several Shawnee Mission schools worries parents."