School Playground

When we were living in South City St. Louis when my son was first starting school the doors were locked and you had to be buzzed in. There was no real playground. The kids had to play on what was basically a parking lot behind the school. So, you could get to it without going through the school. When we move to the boonies the schools were not locked, but the office was right by the front door. The playground was in back, but not fenced in. We recently moved back to South County St. Louis and here the schools are locked. The Kindergarten playground is fenced in like the one you are describing, but the other kids play area is not fenced in.

I haven't noticed anything of the sort. But I don't live in the city. In my town playgrounds at school are considered public playgrounds after school is over. Since they are paid for by the taxpayers everyone has the right to use them when they are not in use by the school. I was homeschooled, but my parents too us to the playgrounds lots of evening to play. And, when we got older, they took us to the public schools tracks to run, skate, or whatever. So, for the safety of children in school is a shame, because this is something paid for by everyone, and we should all have the right to use it when the children are done for the day.

Ours are not....we live in a small enough community that we haven't had alot of issues with this.....my kids didn't either....but the one just up the street from me is wide open...I take my granddaughter up there lots of times!

In Alabama where I live now, most of the playgrounds are fenced but not locked. I think it is so the kids don't run into the streets more than anything. I however am use to Fl. where the playgrounds are fenced and locked. Most of the daycares have privacy fencing so no one can see the kids at play. On a personal level I like this because you never know who is watching. It's sad to be like this. I am in my mid 30's and when I was growing up we lived in the country but the school playgrounds weren't fenced. Any one was welcome to walk through the school. How things change.

You are right about that. I find that our small town is still as I remember it when I was a kid, but there are definitely many teachers keeping a watchful eye on the kids when they are out. I think that is good to watch out for fighting and injuries as well. In some schools recess is more restricted to the gym. I remember many happy times playing outside during recess. I loved the swings and monkey bars. I was always afraid of the merry-go-round. The older kids would jump on and make it go really fast. Maybe it was easier for us to sit still during class because we had so much exercise just having fun. This was during the 50's and 60's. Do they even have merry-go-rounds today. They are probably an injury risk. Oh, before I forget I also loved the teeter-totter!

Our local school where I went to school and where I will be sending my daughter never used to have any real security though now all doors leading into the school building have codes to enter to open the door or you can be buzzed in on the main entrance. One gate is also locked up throughout the school day though they seem to have forgotten about the other gate the other side which is always left open and leads to the playground though teachers are always on the playground with the children. One worry I have was when a teacher sent my friends child who is 6 out alone to get his jumper from the playground which he left and he could so easily have gone out of the gate into the road without anyone watching.

I have never seen a locked playground in a school but I can't see why it would be a bad idea. After all, our children are so precious, as are all children so no amount of security is too much. I guess there should always be a teacher/teachers on duty watching the children so that nothing bad happens to them but usually there is just one or two teachers parolling the playground. Nothing is stopping a person from running in and picking up a kid then running off again. I think security in schools is very important and that there should be a lot more teachers on playground duty. It only takes a second for something horrible to happen.

Yes, a lot of playgrounds are locked and secure which is too bad, we used to use the playground as a park sometimes. We could use it after school. Yet, another way that the bad guys are making the good guys have less freedom. Makes me sick! We need to find a way to take back our lives. (If more kids were like my family, they'd bring the kids back!) Thanks and take care

They do this at my daughters school as well. And they have a camera and auto lock on the front doors of the school as well. You have to be buzzed in. I am in my 30's. And you are correct we didn't have this when I was younger. Guess it is a sign of the times.

I haven't noticed that, no, but I distinctly remember even when I was a kid, they were open and easily accessible. There was a fence around Barron, but it was never locked and anyone could walk in and play ont he soccer fields or play on the playground. I remember times when it was after school hours, and a few times in middle school when I just missed the playground, I would go and hang out on the olympic bars or climb the tree there. It's sad to think that there are so many perverts nowadays that the security has to be so strict. Sad thing though, is that a lot of the sickos were kids the same time I was. I was even hit on and almost stalked by one when I was a teenager, and the same guy did stalk a friend of mine.

All schools in my area are locked and have guards at the entrance to prevent terrorist attacks on our youngsters. Even the Universities are fenced and have guards. Most of the guards at our schools are armed. It wasn't always like this. Life is getting more dangerous and we need to adapt to the changes. I would love to see a time when we could again be free like we were in the 60's and 70's.

When I was in school, I don't even remember having a fence around our playground, let alone a locked gate. I am glad that schools are doing more to help protect our kids, but at the same time, it saddens me that those steps are necessary. The school my kids wen to last year installed hand readers at the front door at the end of the year. The only way into the school was throught that door, the others were all locked, and you had to have a special code, or had to be buzzed in. They had a fenced playground too, but I never looked t it closely enough to know whether or not there were locks. Now, this year, my younger kids' school is very easily accessible. There is one door that is away from the offive that is always open and an open fence aroung the playground. My oldest son's school has locks and buzzers at the doors. You can't even walk into the office without permission at his school.

When I was attending school, nothing was fenced in at all, it was all open, and there were main roads all around our school. The school my son attends, the 4k, kindergarten and 1st grade playgrounds are all fenced in and locked and the only way to access them is threw the school. It helps with saftey of keeping the bad out and also keeping the kids in, that have issues with wondering.

yes playgrounds are generally inside the school and cannot be accessed from outsid..only way is you go from inside the school its always been like this here

Not in my area or in fact even when I travel around my state. The only playground that is locked is the one for kids with special needs and I totaly understand why that needs to be locked as the equipment is very expencive (swings that you can put the whole wheelchair that sort of thing) and for people that want to use it is simple to get a key that you keep. But many playgrounds have safety fences that small kids cant open and thats to keep them from runing off.

Hi carolbee, Yes the the school at the top of my road is, there is no way you can get in, the have a high fence and lock gates there, few years ago we took a short cut through the school grounds but now you can't, it is so sad the the schools have to do this but because people. When I was in school we were free. Hugs. Tamara

My schools are still the same way but I remember my school. There was a fence but the only thing it did was keep the balls from going into the street. There was an opening in the back that a lot of kids would use to skip school which even then I didn't agree with. Now I think that there should have been a teacher watching that area because people could have snuck in but it also made kids get used to ditching in elementary school. I used to use that entrance on the weekends to go play on the equipment and I think that is a good idea to have something like that, but it needs to be monitored.

I have noticed all the fencing around schools, and day cares. Some look like an armed camp. They are just trying to protect our children and the teachers or people that are teaching or taking care of them, which is a shame. With the media covering shootings, stabbings, and bombings, etc. I can see why things are being locked down. I went to school when there was no such thing, and most people stayed married, so there wasn't a problem with people trying to take the kids. It is truly a shame that the world has come to this.