Morton, Ill., District 709 will tabulate expenditures of about $300,000 for projects this summer, but one project that cost about $8,000 may win the most praise for improvements to student life: a fence that separates an elementary school playground from a busy street, the Peoria Journal-Star reports.
The principal at Jefferson Elementary School in Morton, Susan Grzanich, described a scene from last school year to the Journal-Star: “A student chased a ball onto Jefferson Street. The driver of a car slammed on his brakes and came within feet of hitting the student.”
Not wanting such a scene to play out again, the district approved the fence-building project, which is now complete.
“Student safety is a priority with me, so I definitely feel more comfortable knowing we have the fence in place,” the paper quoted her as saying. “Plus, the fence enhances the look of our school grounds.”
Even before the fence could be built, Grzanich said school officials gave students advice about boundaries they shouldn’t cross during recess and other safety tips like that.
And fences are just the beginning. An Australian study* from just a few years ago reached the conclusion that many young people were increasing the amount of time spent indoors, in front of screens, and decreasing the amount of time they spent outdoors playing, because they felt less safe on playgrounds. The report identified “stranger danger” and road safety as the two leading contributing factors to kids’ reduced feelings of safety.
A study out of Johns Hopkins also concluded that increasing traffic safety would be beneficial in encouraging children to get the level of physical activity they need:
As public health efforts to promote physical activity increase in response to obesity, it is important that programs to increase physical activity partner with programs to prevent injuries to maximize the benefits of physical activity programs, and avoid the possible unintended consequence of increased injury rates.
That’s where fences come in, as well as other community and school improvements. If we want kids to get more physical activity—and we do—we need to make sure they can do that physical activity safely. Now if we could just get better bike lanes—or at least shoulders—on a few more roads around Baltimore!
*Alison Carver, Anna Timperio, David Crawford. Playing it safe: The influence of neighbourhood safety on children’s physical activity—A review. Health & Place 14(2): 217-227 (June 2008).
