Parents tell Salem School Committee early‑childhood playgrounds are unsafe, inaccessible; urge on‑site upgrades and grant strategy

A parent advisory and school representatives told the Salem School Committee on Sept. 24 that several early‑childhood play areas in the district are inadequate for young learners and for students with disabilities, and urged the district to prioritize on‑site, accessible playgrounds rather than relying on public parks.

Kate Mattern, who convened the district’s superintendent advisory playground committee, told the committee that the early‑childhood playgrounds at the Carlton school, the Salem Early Childhood Center (ECC) and Horace Mann “range from mostly empty to potentially dangerous to inaccessible for kids with physical disabilities.” Mattern urged the committee to include playgrounds in reconfiguration planning and to consider dedicated district management rather than relying on Parks and Recreation equipment.

Melinda Baker, Carleton PTO co‑president, said Carleton’s kindergarten play area is an asphalt lot with little shade and limited equipment, and that older students use a nearby Parks and Recreation playground that is not managed by the school. She said a planned March Street renovation will take that community playground offline for a school year and that the school is arranging temporary loose‑play materials and alternate activity space while construction proceeds.

Erica Clifford, parent and Horace Mann PTC president, said Horace Mann’s front and rear playgrounds are in disrepair, that wood‑chip surfacing is inaccessible for children with mobility restrictions, and that the Pathways playground lacks commercial play equipment appropriate for preschoolers. “We have really no play spaces that will work for all of our students and are accessible for all of them,” Clifford said.

Presenters stressed inclusion: the ECC serves a substantial special‑needs population, they said, and small climbing structures currently available do not provide sufficient fall zones or accessible surfaces. Committee members were told the ECC and some neighborhood playgrounds are managed by Parks and Recreation rather than the school district, which limits the district’s ability to schedule or retrofit equipment for the youngest learners.

Parents proposed several steps: incorporate playground needs into the district’s upcoming reconfiguration discussions; prioritize on‑site, district‑managed playgrounds when feasible; install ADA‑compliant surfacing and age‑appropriate commercial equipment at early‑childhood sites; and hire a part‑time development professional to identify grants and external funding sources. Kate Mattern noted the advisory had identified a Community Preservation Act (CPA) grant awarded for a shade structure at the ECC; presenters said $60,000 had been allocated but the structure had not yet been installed.

Committee members acknowledged the scale of need and the cost of compliant playground projects. Member Cornell noted the district has invested in playgrounds in recent years but that surfacing and accessibility requirements have increased costs, and she asked the advisory to work with facilities and capital‑planning staff to refine short‑term and long‑term priorities. Member Cruz and facilities staff said Horace Mann is under active consideration for capital funding during the budget cycle and that some interim accessibility measures (for example, mats) could be evaluated for lower‑cost, temporary mitigation.

The discussion was advisory; the committee did not vote on funding Sept. 24. Parents said they will continue to meet with district staff and urged the committee to treat playgrounds as basic early‑childhood infrastructure rather than a discretionary improvement.