Opening locked-up playgrounds

Over the past two weeks, this column has explored a largely ignored, barely discussed cause of childhood obesity: Our worry-driven parenting culture, which prohibits children from playing outside without supervision.

Because our kids don't have the freedom to explore their own neighborhoods, many children have no idea how many peers live within a few blocks of them, they're not engaging in the unstructured adventures and games that defined the childhoods of previous generations, and they're not building the bonds and social skills that grow through calorie-consuming outdoor play.

Our collective insistence that children be supervised at all times has even led schools to lock down ball fields and playgrounds, a policy that discourages the kind of outside activities today's kids clearly need more of.

In my July 4 column, I related the daily scene outside my son's elementary school: Dozens of children waiting outside the playground gates before school. They aren't allowed on the playground and ball fields until school employees can provide supervision. So, in trying to ensure that kids have adequate supervision during before-school play time, the school ends up having bunches of kids hanging out on a sidewalk ... largely unsupervised.

The only kids who can play on the playground even 15 minutes before the bell rings are participants in the Safe Key program, which requires parents to pay for supervision from city employees. Teachers take over just before the bell.

Lots of readers e-mailed to say that, like me, they encountered no such obstacles to outdoor play at their elementary schools. In our time, school playgrounds were open day and night, weekends and summers. We got to school early just for the opportunity to get in a full game of football or soccer -- unsupervised -- before class began. If someone got hurt, we knew teachers, administrators and the nurse were in their offices. We could go find them.

For millions of schoolchildren, their school has the only playground within miles of their homes. In many parts of Las Vegas, particularly the northeast, east and southwest valley, many neighborhoods are recreational deserts, with no public parks at all.

Several readers wrote in to point out that it isn't just our parenting culture that has changed over the years -- the legal climate is to blame for locked up playgrounds.

"Having our playgrounds locked up is a tragedy," writes local teacher Gina West. "However, I'm sure you understand the legal nightmare the Clark County School District would have if a child were injured while playing on school grounds unsupervised, and defense against litigation isn't free. ...

"We have a legal obligation to ensure your child's safety while in our care during school hours. Would hiring playground supervisors really be effective use of taxpayer money? Perhaps you feel as if school district employees should take turns supervising your children before the school day for free. I teach fifth grade and start my work day at around 6:30 a.m. I grade papers until I fall asleep at 8 p.m. Would you suggest I take time away from preparing for my students in order to supervise your child before school?

"I agree that our children need to move, move, move. However, dumping this parental responsibility at the schools' doorsteps is not the answer. Several schools have parks next door. How about gathering parents or other family and friends, creating a supervisory schedule, and allowing children to play somewhere else before school?

"Maybe (and this is a big maybe) you could work something out with your site administrator and the CCSD legal department to allow parental supervision on school grounds before the school day. Unfortunately, many parents drop their children off before school expecting someone else to care of their children."

We do indeed expect our kids to be supervised in a safe environment during school hours. But it's my contention that our children should be free to play unsupervised before school hours, as previous generations did.

Many parents do drop off their children before school, but not necessarily because they expect someone else to take care of them. Some do it because they think their kids are mature enough to look after themselves.

And as far as liability is concerned, if parents are willing to drop their kids off, or let them walk or bike to school by themselves well before classes start, don't they assume some liability if their children somehow get hurt? Besides, how does parental or teacher supervision prevent a sprained ankle playing basketball, or a scraped knee or a split lip sustained running around the playground?

We certainly don't need a new classification of school district employee, and the resulting pension obligations, to unlock taxpayer-funded playgrounds 45 minutes early each day.

All that said, I am not so dumb as to underestimate the eagerness of the lawyer class to go after the deep pockets of government.

Gina might be on to something as far getting parent volunteers to staff playgrounds before school, if that's what it takes to unlock the gates. I have often thought that if parent volunteers and students can be entrusted with running drop-off lanes at elementary schools -- opening and closing car doors, getting kids safely over curbs and dodging traffic -- surely it would OK to have a few walk the playground.

Alternatively, Bruce Borgos of Las Vegas suggests school systems ask their small armies of lobbyists to request legislation that releases schools from liability in playground accidents that occur outside class hours.

But considering the number of lawyers in the Legislature, could we reasonably expect such inexpensive, common-sense relief?

Fat chance.

Next week: Final thoughts on childhood obesity and outdoor play.

Glenn Cook (gcook@reviewjournal.com) is a Review-Journal editorial writer.