DCPS Playground Use
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Anonymous
| Does anyone know/or know where I can find policies regarding public school playground use after school hours. My family has been going to a playground in our neighborhood for almost a year between the hours of 5 and 7 pm with other families in the neighborhood. Yesterday we were kicked out and told we were not allowed to be there until aftercare was over at 6:30. Just curious if this is correct. |
Anonymous
| I can't answer this question, but I'd like to know what your DCPS elementary school's policy is (assuming they have an aftercare program and a playground). Is the playground open to anybody from 3:15-6 pm, or just to kids from that school, or only to kids in the aftercare program? If it's closed to some people, how is that enforced (locked gate, security guard)? |
Anonymous
| I'm not sure of the answer either. I do think it is a liability for the school though to have people on their playground that don't attend the school. I wouldn't want just anyone wandering up on our school grounds. You may have to contact DCPS directly to get the answer you need. |
Anonymous
From what I understand (I will check on this) the playgrounds are open to the public. |
Anonymous
| It may depend on the school. We have been able to take our kids to Murch after school without any problem, but we were asked to leave Eaton. |
Anonymous
|
No. Playgrounds attached to school buildings are not public parks. Just like you can't hang out in a school library after 3:15. Aftercare programs use the space like they would classrooms. Aftercare providers are only responsible for the kids in aftercare. The more kids in the space, the harder it is to manage safely. Our school doesn't allow non-aftercare kids in the space for the same reason. The space isn't that big, like Eaton. (Isn't Macomb public park across the street from Eaton?)
Our school JUST got a locked gate and cameras for the security guard. It would be convenient for me personally to hang out with the other non-aftercare families, I'm glad the school is at least trying to address safety more than they have in the past. |
Anonymous
| This issue recently came up in our neighborhood. Public school grounds are available for public use after the regular programming is out. That means the playgrounds are available after the aftercare is let out. Technically this should also extend to charter schools but I doubt it will ever be a reality. |
Anonymous
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The playground at Mann has a sign to the effect that the playground is closed to the public during school hours. I don't remember if there is a specific end time posted. I'll check at pick-up today.
I suspect, though, that the after-care program is choosing a very liberal interpretation of "school hours", i.e., when after-care is finished. Is the after-care program run by DCPS? If not, it is unlikely that they would have been given exclusive access to the playground from 3:15 until 6:30 by DCPS. Call the school. Call DCPS. I suspect that you were kicked off the playground unfairly, OP. |
Anonymous
| Yu Ying will barely let it's own students use the playground. I can't imagine the circumstances that would force that admin. to open the playground to the neighborhood children. |
Anonymous
| I think OP may be talking about Bancroft. It has a DCPS-run aftercare program. (By the way it's closed to outside kids until 6, not 6:30.) |
Anonymous
It also has a sign that youth & family groups have priority over adult groups. So, if adults are using the field to practice their soccer game, they have to vacate it when the kids show up to play. |
Anonymous
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I think Haynes lets neighborhood kids use their playground, it's part of the deal with getting a Kaboom! playground.
Sharpe lets Bridges use their playground, they did that even before Bridges had classrooms in the Sharpe building. |
Anonymous
| I find it annoying that Janney locks part of its playground on the weekend. I was hoping to get my son familiar and excited about the school... But we always end up at Murch instead - which he thinks its awesome. |
Anonymous
We're only allowed to use it from 3:30-3:55 and must agree to the list of rules they handed out. It would be pretty unlikely that they would willingly open the campus to the "community". |
Anonymous
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Yea,h the Mt Pleasant listserv is about to have one of their periodic flareups, I think, over the bancroft playground.
I see both sides. Aftercare is a thing, and the school has to do right by those kids, and the paid paid employees of aftercare. Having the play area open to other's makes it harder on the after care teachers to keep track, and what parents let their kids do is probably different than what paid caregivers let the aftercare kids do. We need after care for those parents that work and need that care. from a parent who wants to take their kid there, segregating aftercare and non after care kids can be a shame in terms of losing out of friendships. And the neighborhood has supported that Bancroft playground. From what I see, I sincerely hope the Mt Pleasant activists stay out of this. Bancroft is letting all kids on the playground for a short period after school, then reserving it for after care, for reasonable reasons. That seems like a decent enough compromise. |