Our elementary principal just sent home a note saying they will not S. the parking lot because it is also the children's playground and the S. is hazardous to the children. Not only do the children not go out for recess in this cold (indoor recess if wind chill is under 22), but they can't go out because of the ice. Many parents, grandparents, and children have fallen on the ice, which is well over an inch thick at this point. I am appalled that the principal is claiming the icy lot is somehow safer than if it was treated. Can anyone comment on your school's policy? Does your school treat lots and play areas? One year, the only area that was treated was the principal's designated parking space.
By the way, the majority of the school is driven to school by parents and this is the designated and only drop off parking lot.
If everyone drives their kid to school, I do t see the problem. You pull up and drop off. No need to walk in parking lot.
I would contact the school board via email and possibly mention that the decision of the principal could be a lawsuit waiting to happen if someone is injured on school grounds
The children play on the parking lot? That sounds a lot more dangerous than a little S.. Our schools and the entire city us a mixture of sand and S. on the roads, walkways and parking lots.
They are correct about the S. being bad, but that does not mean there is nothing that can be done. My son's school uses gravel on the lot and sidewalks to make it safe to walk. Yes that means clean up, but thus is the way of winter.
Side note, I can not believe you school does not allow recess when it is 22, that is nuts. Ours go outside unless the windchill is below -4. I prefer that because getting outside and getting fresh air is so important.
Around here, if there are unsafe, untreated surfaces on school property where the children and staff would have to walk and it can't be cleared then they don't have class.
Since class is open, the principal is obligated to take care of that ice. He is also liable for the injuries caused by parents, staff, and children falling. This is a huge legal issue.
How about someone going in to ask the principle for the school district attorney's contact info...they could say they slipped then fell and need to find out how to go about getting their medical bills paid for....often just the thought of someone making a legal snafu will change someone's mind.
Sand is an alternative...
We often sand, not S., around here. S. is not effective below 16 degrees. Don't know if that figures into your situation. But I am glad the kids are going out for a little while each day!
Many have fallen, then certainly one is hurt. And when that one sues the school and wins, then they'll put S. down.
they S. the parking lot and the sidewalk paths to the school with lots of S... they do not want anyone falling and getting hurt.. they do not S. the blacktop play area in the back of the school because S. destroys the blacktop. they were trying to get some calcium chloride to use on the blcacktop.. cause it was so icy.
I guess I don't know anything for sure, but it seems like there are a few flaws in the principal's logic.
1. If S. is needed, the temperature outside is not expected to be above 32. Otherwise the snow/ice would melt without the S.. Right? So, if S. is needed, you could question whether or not the kids should even be playing outside.
2. What excavate about S. is dangerous? I mean, we put S. on our food, so that means children eat S.. I would like to think they won't be eating S. on the ground just like they shouldn't eat the snow. But aside from the "ick" factor and the dirt, I'm sure sure that's particularly dangerous. Is there a fear that the children could slip on the S.? Because I think they'd be more apt to slip on the ice!
3. The principal could argue that it's expensive. It is expensive. S. costs money. It is also h*** o* the pavement. It causes potholes and shortens the life of the existing pavement.
But, I'm still not convinced that it's a good idea to not S. the parking lot. Normally I'm not the type of person to suggest sending emails to people (the School Board) complaining. Maybe before doing that you could send the principal gently pointing out some of the flaws in the plan. If that doesn't get you anywhere, it might not be a bad idea to mention it to the school board.
Since people have already fallen on this ice: If you know personally any of those who have fallen, see if you can get every single one of them to e-mail the principal, describe what happened, and say that doing nothing about inch-thick ice that is already causing falls is going to be something they bring up with the school board if the situation is not taken care of this week. The answer does not have to be S.; sand could help; but everyone who has fallen or whose child has fallen should e-mail (so there is a written record). I'm not talking about going ballistic on him or threatening lawsuits -- that will "get his back up" and do no good. I'm talking about calm but very firm e-mails saying who fell, exactly when and where, and noting that doing nothing is not an option, and that the school board (or whoever's his boss) is the next step.
If you can't organize that, ask the PTA (better still, are you ON the PTA maybe?) to intervene. I hope your PTA has a strong president.
Any intervention will go better if whoever does it presents some alternatives. For instance, is there a family in the school that maybe runs a landscaping business or construction firm etc.? That business might offer to donate chemicals or sand that would help with the problem (which could speed up the principal's decision -- he might be holding out because of cost, really, and just hoping the ice will go away). But most of all he needs to know that falls are already happening and are not just some product of kids running when they shouldn't.
To those saying the kids won't lick up the S. in the spring, it won't hurt them, etc. -- I would bet that he's really saying that S. now will create potholes and cracks in the surface when spring comes (and he's right about that). Those do become safety hazards when the kids play on the surface so the concern is real, but his focus on that now, when kids and adults are actually falling down, is out of whack.
I would ask him if this is his personal decision or something he was told to do by the school system for reasons of cost (eitiher cost of the S. now, or cost of resurfacing later). That question might get his attention because he'll hear it as "If this is your personal choice, you're going to have to defend it over your head."
I noticed someone posting that kids shouldn't be playing in the parking lot but I get it. Around here many schools use "the blacktop," as they call it, as part of the playground, especially for games like foursquare or hopscotch where kids actually need a hard surface for drawing lines and/or bouncing a ball. So folks, don't just assume that these kids are running amok among cars trying to park - it is not unheard of to use a (temporarily vacant) parking lot during the day as "blacktop" play space.
Contact the district superintendent with your concerns. Heck, get on the district's (not just the school's) Facebook Page.
My 7th grader told me this morning that their cafeteria was being kept so cold that the children were shivering during mealtimes. I hopped on the district's FB page and asked that they look into it....and they did so in very short order.
The school district doesn't want all the other parents to see that the children are not being cared for and safe.
I have never actually paid attention but I would imagine they cleared it. What is the point, it is a parking lot, cars are going to drive on it, cars that have plenty of S. caked in the wheel wells anyway that is going to fall off, same with buses.
That and if your kids are out on the playground eating dirt you have bigger issues than the S. content.
