Fourth‑grader and parent urge board to install backstop after playground injury at Forest Elementary
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Summary
A fourth‑grade student and his father presented a petition asking the Kennewick School District to install a backstop or open shared field access after the student suffered a serious leg injury on a cement electrical box during recess.
During public comment, fourth‑grader Zeke Bobby told the board he was injured on a cement electrical box at Forest Elementary while playing kickball and asked the district to approve installation of a backstop so students have a safe play area. Zeke read from a petition signed by students and staff; his father, Alex Bibi, described receiving an urgent call from the school and relayed concerns about the field’s configuration, exposed electrical boxes and concrete hazards.
Bibi said the family has discussed options with the principal and submitted a petition with more than 300 student signatures asking the district to either install a backstop or create a schedule and safe areas so younger students are not confined to a hazardous portion of the field. He praised staff response after the injury but said preventing future incidents required action from the district.
District staff and the principal said they would follow up with the family and provide feedback on next steps; the board did not take formal action during the meeting. The petition and parents’ request were recorded for staff review.