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Parents tell Lakewood board Horace Mann playground is not ADA‑accessible; request audit and budget priority
Summary
Two residents told the Lakewood Board of Education that the Horace Mann playground lacks accessible routes and play components for children in wheelchairs, asking the district to share an ADA audit and prioritize repairs when budgeting.
Two community members raised concerns during public comment at the July 7 Lakewood Board of Education meeting, saying the Horace Mann Elementary playground is not accessible to students with mobility impairments and asking the district to prioritize remediation.
"Is that playground ADA compliant?" asked Erin Kelly, who identified herself as a Lake Road resident and said she walks by the Horace Mann playground daily. Kelly said she requested an audit but had not received it and described physical barriers: locked gates with chains and padlocks on two entrances, a narrow path that she said is about 85 feet long and does not meet accessible‑route expectations, and a lack of ground‑level play components that wheelchair users could use.
Monica Bridal, who said she lives on Arthur Avenue and was speaking on behalf of Kelly, described measurements and site conditions that she said fail to meet accessibility guidelines. "How many pieces of equipment are available for someone in a wheelchair? There are none," Bridal said. She urged the board to work with parents, PTA and outside grant opportunities to remediate the site and to apply the district's stated vision for belonging and inclusion to this playground.
Both speakers referenced the CHAMPS program, which they said operates at Horace Mann and includes students who use wheelchairs. They said the program moved to Horace Mann after its renovation in 2008 and that accessible play components and routes should have been addressed at that time.
The board did not take an action at the meeting; the speakers asked the district to provide the ADA audit and to make the playground a budget priority. No staff response or formal timeline was recorded in the minutes excerpt presented to the board during public comment.
Why it matters: Public‑school playground accessibility affects whether districts meet federal and state disability‑access requirements and whether students with mobility impairments can participate in play and related learning activities. Parents asked for concrete next steps—an audit release and budget prioritization—rather than just restating the district vision.
Next steps: The commenters requested that the district share the audit they said exists and meet with parents about remediation and fundraising opportunities. The board did not announce a follow‑up at the July 7 meeting.
