Parents urge ABC Unified to move middle‑school basketball indoors after on‑court injuries

Parents of middle‑school players raised safety concerns during the public‑comment portion of the Nov. 4 ABC Unified board meeting, asking the district to stop staging middle‑school basketball games on unlocked outdoor asphalt or concrete courts after several injuries this season.

"This past season, we actually had one of our Carmenita middle school students hit her face on the ground. She suffered a broken front tooth in half and facial bleeding as well. The ambulance had to come get her," parent Craig Nano told the board, and he described his daughter sustaining a concussion after running plays on concrete surfaces.

The parents asked the district to schedule middle‑school games indoors whenever possible, to explore weekend or evening slots at available indoor venues, or to coordinate with the City youth league'which runs many indoor games'so middle school games are not forced outdoors for safety reasons.

District leadership said staff will follow up with athletic directors and the superintendent's office to explore options and to provide more information. "Our superintendent will follow up," a staff member said from the dais.

The parents framed the request as a safety issue rather than a financial or scheduling complaint; they acknowledged scheduling constraints at high schools but emphasized that middle school students are still physically developing and that playing high‑impact sport on asphalt increases injury risk.

What's next: district staff said they would investigate indoor scheduling options, coordinate with athletic directors and the city, and report back to the board. Parents asked for a district reply and for the board to consider policy changes to avoid outdoor competitive games for middle‑school athletes.

This public comment was recorded during the posted public comment period; no formal board action was taken at the meeting.