PLAYING IT SAFE

Breonne Johnson emerged safely from the covered slide at Franklin Elementary School.

Devante Griffin swung from one rung to another at Franklin Elementary School while Joyce Fulks, a substitute teacher, watched.

School playgrounds are much safer than they used to be.

The austere steel equipment of the past has been replaced with brightly colored, plastic playground equipment. Sliding boards, when they are present, look more like gigantic drinking straws.

In addition, teachers are on duty before and after school and during recess to keep students from misusing playground equipment. They also determine the seriousness of injuries before school nurses arrive on the scene of an accident.

School officials said the changes have been made to ensure student safety and protect schools from liability. Children don't worry about getting hurt while playing, so every precaution must be taken to protect them from injury, they said.

"Playground equipment is very expensive because of liability issues," said Jefferson Elementary School principal Mark Cook. "You have to make sure the playground surface and equipment are safe."

Cook said many school districts have exchanged play "stations" for traditional equipment like merry-go-rounds, teeter-totters and jungle gyms. Also gone are the concrete playgrounds of the past: Wood chips and pea gravel are now placed under equipment to ensure safe landings from slides and swings.

"Prevention is the key," said Cook. "Everything has to be made from the right materials to protect the students."

School nurses said they still see students with playground injuries, but there are typically few injuries that require "true medical assistance." More common injuries, like scrapes to arms and legs, head bumps, blisters and scratches can be fixed with peroxide, Band-Aids, ice packs and a little tender loving care.

"I give out lots of ice packs and lots of TLC at the first part of the year until they get used to being here," said Theresa Ladd, nurse at Alma Schrader Elementary School. "Sometimes we have breaks, of course, but that's minor."

Ladd said her school has a safety committee that meets during the school year to assess equipment needs. The committee makes recommendations when changes are warranted to protect the children.

Linda Brotherton, Jefferson Elementary School nurse, said sometimes injuries cannot be prevented. As long as students are able to climb, run, jump, and otherwise play, there will always be potential for them to hurt themselves. The key to playground safety is keeping equipment in good working order and maintaining good supervision.

"You can get a head injury from falling as little as three feet," said Brotherton. "There's always that potential for back and head injuries and for less serious injuries. We just have to make sure the playground is kept as safe as possible."