Several parents say Montgomery County Public Schools removed unsafe playground equipment from an elementary school but have been slow to replace it, leaving students with little to do during recess.
Parents are often looking for ways to keep their kids active. One said that’s been a challenge for her third grader at East Silver Spring Elementary School this schoolyear.
She said the school hasn’t had a playground since April.
“That leads to maybe more behavioral challenges in the classroom when they can’t get their wiggles out,” she said.
“My son comes back and says the worst part of the day is recess, which is pretty sad for a third grader,” Liz Osborn said.
Parents like Osborn even came out of pocket donating almost $200 worth of play equipment to the school. She said it shouldn’t have reached this point.
“We are lucky and in a position where my son has after school activities,” she said.
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But not every family is in that position, she said.
“This is taking a long time, and there’s not a lot of clarity from MCPS,” PTA President Jessica Smith said.
She said she’s hearing the same thing from a lot of parents.
This week, Principal Iraida Bodre-Woods sent a letter to families explaining there’s a delay with the manufacturer.
“Ms. Bodre-Woods is a wonderful leader for our school,” Smith said. “She has done, I think, everything that she can possibly do.”
Smith wants answers from the school district.
“Is this a matter of weeks, months?” she said.
In a statement to News4, MCPS said, “We are working diligently with the manufacturer to replace the equipment as soon as possible. In the meantime, we have implemented temporary measures to ensure our students have access to safe and engaging play options. We will continue to provide updates on the progress of this project.”
“That sounds nice, but we need a timeline and we need to know when it’s going to happen,” one parent said.
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