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Elementary gym backboards taken out of service after one fell and struck a student, district says
Summary
District officials said a backboard came off a wall at Jefferson Elementary and struck a senior student; the district has barred use of backboards at three elementary gyms pending engineering inspections and remediation, which officials estimated could take about two months.
District operations and facilities staff told the board they have removed gym backboards from use at three elementary schools after a backboard at Jefferson Elementary came loose and struck a senior student during a supervisory session.
During the facilities committee report, an administrator recounted the incident: "About two weeks ago...a backboard at Jefferson Elementary...came off the wall, while it was being used...it fell down, actually landed on one of our senior students," the administrator said. The district has kept the gyms open for activity but disabled the backboards until investigations and repairs are complete.
Officials said they are concerned about how the backboards are connected to the walls and have paused backboard use pending an engineering inspection. The facilities director and staff are searching for a vendor or engineer willing to inspect the mounting and recommend remediation; administrators said finding a vendor willing to assume liability has been difficult and that resolution could take "probably at least...another two months." The facilities director reported two potential vendors but said additional work is required to finalize inspections and a remediation plan.
The board was told the facilities director has been coordinating the response, and that the district will implement any necessary repairs or design changes recommended by engineers to ensure safe mounting of athletic equipment.
No formal action or vote was recorded at the meeting beyond committee discussion; trustees asked for updates and indicated they expected follow‑up reporting once inspections are complete.
