The ban, which only prohibits the use of playground structures when the ground is frozen, doesn’t make a huge difference to elementary schools that have nearby fields in which children can play. Lake Avenue Elementary, located in downtown Saratoga on Lake Avenue just blocks from Broadway, is unlike most of the other schools because they lack fields or open spaces in which children can play when the playground freezes.
Frozen or icy playgrounds can be very dangerous for kids to play on, due to the high structures that are easy to slip on or fall off when they are iced over. Because of that, children are forced to have indoor recess for an undefined winter period, keeping them inside the building for the entire school day when the temperatures don’t allow for playground use.
At the October 9 board of education meeting, 15 or more parents showed up to support a group called Daily Outdoor Recess (DOR), a group formed by Lake Avenue Elementary parents who have also created a petition to change the ban. Several parents spoke during the public hearing portion of the meeting, expressing their concerns about the lack of outdoor recess time.
Rosemary Radcliffe, parent of a fourth grader at
“We really felt the brunt of this ban last year,” Radcliffe said. “And I’m sure you can remember last winter,” she told the board, referring to last year’s mild winter.
Another parent, Daniel Jones, said he felt the ban didn’t take into consideration schools like Lake Avenue Elementary.
“Any policy that puts a blanket ban on something without considering the specifics or cases outside the norm such as Lake Avenue, where there are no other places to play, is just not fair,” Jones said.
DOR parents have come up with their own solution that they have presented to the board with the hopes that they will allow a parking lot behind the school to be used for a play area so the kids can still have time outdoors.
The board previously rejected the parking lot idea because the lot is used for delivery trucks, which causes a safety issue for the children. Tony Krackeler, DOR member and parent of three children at
“The only problem is that the lot is used for deliveries from one truck,” Krackeler said. “We have already approached the truck driver, and he has agreed to use
If the plan is approved, DOR would have fundraisers to raise money for fencing around the 6,000-square-foot lot, which would cost an estimated $5600.
“We have a solution, and I struggle with why it was rejected,” Jones told the board. “Please put some thought towards this.”
Schools throughout the nation usually decide their winter play policies at the local level, many depending on principals to make the call daily on whether kids can use the playgrounds or not. Some local schools, such as the Waldorf School of Saratoga Springs, still allow children to play outside in freezing temperatures. Waldorf has a program called The Forest Kindergarten, where children ages three-and-a-half to 6 years old spend most of the day outside year-round, only going inside in extreme weather, according to its website.
A 2009 study by the journal Pediatrics studied the links between recess and classroom behavior among about 11,000 children between ages 8 and 9. Those who had more than 15 minutes of recess a day showed better behavior in class than those who had little or none, according to the study. The association between better behavior and recess time held up even after researchers controlled for a number of variables, including sex, ethnicity, public or private school and class size, a fact that Radcliffe took into account when addressing the board.
“Our message is simple,” Radcliffe said. “Our kids need this. Please take this seriously.”
For more information on the group Daily Outdoor Recess, visit their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/DailyOutdoorRecess.
