Why we're doing this

 While a playground may not fix all the student and family needs in this community, we realize that having a creative and safe space can help support many of them. Research shows how important physical movement is for school age kids not only for proper development but for overall student well-being[1]. With many kids in our school struggling with behavioral disorders, they need an outlet to be active and to play. Playgrounds can help students use their imaginations, get outside, and expend energy which in turn is beneficial for classroom structure and learning. This benefits both the student with the behavioral disorder and their classmates.   
   

[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK201497/ 

 According to the school nurse during the first 53 days of school there have been 159 playground/recess injuries, which is 43% of the student population that suffered an injury on the playground. The health office has seen frequent injuries from the swings, spinner, and in playing football and basketball on the current grounds. In one case it was noted that a student had tripped while running around on the baseball diamond, which is one area that needs to be fixed, and broke his knee in two places and has since had surgery. In comparing other schools, the number of injuries at Read are 12% higher than that of Oaklawn Elementary School which has a much newer and far superior playground. Kids deserve to be able to have a safe playground where they don’t get hurt, and where parents who don’t have, the means don’t have to worry about health care costs after an injury. 

 Many of our kids also struggle with mental health disorders and have experienced some sort of trauma. While the schools are trying to find ways to capture how many kids are affected by mental health needs, they do assess risk of trauma based on the SAEBRS teacher screener. For fall of 2022, Read Elementary scores showed that 17% of students are at some risk for trauma, and 8% are at high risk. This compares to 17% of students district wide being at some risk and 5% being at high risk for trauma. The SAEBERS assessment is also completed by students and Read students assessed that 26% of them felt they were at some risk for trauma, while 7% felt they were at high risk. These scores were higher compared again to the district being higher at Read, with 19% of students assessing they had some risk of trauma and only 4% of students assessing they were at high risk.[1]   In addition, the Covid pandemic has caused another level of trauma for students where kids continue to struggle with how to connect with their peers. Having two plus years where kids were restricted from going to playgrounds or playing with friends, they are still getting used to the idea that they can just be kids and have fun. Research from Ohio University[2] emphasizes that social and physical activity has a positive impact on children and can especially help kids who have mental health disorders or who have experienced trauma, “reduce stress, increase emotional control, and improve mood and self-esteem.”  
   

[1]SAEBRS data provided by Principal Emily Eisenschink

[2] https://onlinemasters.ohio.edu/blog/how-sports-can-be-therapeutic-for-students/