It takes a real coward to burn down a child’s playground.
And that’s just who police will be seeking, after unknown vandals torched Hyde Park Public School’s playground early last Friday, robbing students of a recreational release.
Youngsters at the school were understandably distraught at the thought. Many worried about their safety, or if it might happen again.
Thankfully teachers at the school managed to turn the situation around.
They asked their students to put their thoughts down in words, to describe how they felt, and to remember the good times, climbing on the monkey bars, sliding down the slide and racing around without a care in the world – well, except homework, of course.
The result is on display in the south-side school’s lobby, a reminder of what happened, but done in a positive way. They even suggested ways to raise money to help pay for a new playground structure.
School officials plan to meet with the parent council to discuss what comes next.
Replacing the structure won’t be cheap. The principal suggested Friday afternoon it could cost tens of thousands of dollars to rebuild.
This is money schools just don’t have – and with threats of cuts to come pending the election outcome, the purses could be tightened even further.
