BOS:311

Dead animal

Dear Mayor Wu and Superintendent Skipper, Families of the JFK urgently ask for your attention and leadership regarding the unsafe conditions at the JFK Elementary School playground. The current playground at JFK Elementary is outdated, unsafe, and no longer meets the needs of our students. Families are pleading for the City of Boston and Boston Public Schools to prioritize a new, safe, and accessible playground for our children. • The current play structure is more than 25 years old and was installed before JFK had K0 and K1 classrooms. It was never designed for 3- and 4-year-old children. • JFK will also be adding an additional K0 classroom for the 2026/2027 school year as part of the effort to expand universal, affordable pre-K. We wholeheartedly support this initiative, but the school needs the proper outdoor space and infrastructure to provide a safe, inclusive, and high-quality educational experience for our youngest learners. • Several accidents and safety incidents have already occurred involving younger children using equipment that is not age appropriate. • The woodchip surface is unsafe and unsanitary. Needles have been discovered buried under the woodchips where children play. • The playground bridge has deteriorated after years of temporary “band-aid” repairs. What was once a straight bridge is now hanging and unstable, with gaps between slats that are dangerously wide for small children. • JFK is now an inclusion school, yet the playground is not accessible or appropriate for students with diverse physical and developmental needs. • Families are deeply concerned that the lack of a safe and accessible play space could jeopardize JFK’s NAEYC accreditation standards for early childhood education. As JFK undergoes a major geothermal retrofit as part of the City’s Green New Deal initiative, this is a critical opportunity to create a safe, equitable, and modern outdoor space that reflects Boston’s commitment to children, accessibility, and healthy school environments. We respectfully urge Mayor Wu and Superintendent Skipper to visit JFK Elementary in person, see the conditions firsthand, and help prioritize immediate action before another child gets hurt.

There are multiple cars parked on the side of Baxter St that’s a no parking zone, making it impossible to drive down the street.