Anson County Schools board approves KaBOOM playground contract for Peachland Polkton Elementary; PTA president recuses

Anson County Schools Board of Education members voted to approve a KaBOOM contract to install a new playground at Peachland Polkton Elementary School, and a PTA leader recused herself from the vote.

The motion to accept the contract was made by Doctor Truman and seconded; the board chair called for the vote and members answered "aye." Miss Shepherd, identified in the meeting as president of the Peachland Polkton PTA, recused herself from the matter, the board said. Staff said the contract had been reviewed by the district's legal counsel before signatures were obtained.

The approval followed discussion from board members that KaBOOM provided a public template contract and that the district had modified and reviewed that template. A board speaker said the document was reviewed by legal counsel and that signatures were collected on consecutive days; the speaker described the timeline as: legal review was completed, a template was released, and district and KaBOOM signatures were obtained in late sequence as recorded in the meeting.

Why it matters: Peachland Polkton students have been without a playground for the past academic year, parents said, and the PTA has raised private funding to replace it. The playground installation will affect students' daily recess, physical activity and the school's campus use.

During the public-comment portion of the meeting, Holly Stegall, a family physician who identified herself as an Anson County Schools alumna and parent of a student at Peachland Polkton, urged the board to be more transparent about the project. "Most notably for me and my biggest concern is the lack of transparency," Stegall said, adding that children had been without a playground "for the past academic year." She said PTA volunteers had worked to raise funding and that parents and grandparents were anxious about the project's handling.

A staff member told the board the projected installation window offered by KaBOOM included three possible weeks in June; staff summarized the schedule as aiming for installation in June. Board members and staff also noted that the PTA had been involved in fundraising and that the district has responsibilities to ensure legal and operational compliance when outside groups install equipment on school property.

The board's clerk recorded that the contract was executed following the vote, and the board returned to other agenda items. The meeting record shows the PTA president recused herself; the board did not provide a numerical roll-call tally in open session.

Looking ahead: Staff said they would coordinate scheduling with KaBOOM and notify the school community of installation logistics once dates are finalized.