The HSD is committed to maintaining our community’s investment in Hockinson’s schools. We are also committed to the safety of our students and staff. Both of these commitments mean that operations staff work together with administrators and instructional staff to create a safe, welcoming, and positive learning environment inside our schools and ensure that the areas outside our schools are safe and well-maintained.
With 924 students using HHES’s play equipment and swings, keeping up with the wear in the school’s playground has become a frequent job responsibility. According to David Wilson, HSD Operations Supervisor, “The parts on the [school’s] play equipment are wearing out fast!” This means Wilson and his staff must routinely inspect the school’s swings and play structures and make repairs throughout the year. This past summer, Wilson replaced many of the support brackets on the swing sets and workers spread 30 yards of new cedar chips in the play area to absorb the impact should a student jump or fall from the equipment.
Ensuring student safety also means that Wilson and school administrators must evaluate equipment and determine whether it is best to repair, replace or remove it altogether. For instance, after the HSD applied for, and received, a $900,000 state grant, it pulled some aging equipment and installed a multi-activity adaptive play structure accessible for our students with physical disabilities. Also, when student injuries on a carousel spinner persisted after surrounding it with additional pads, operations staff dismantled it.
Facility repairs and improvements like these would not be possible without the support of the Hockinson’s residents. Levy dollars supplement our maintenance budget and it is that budget that enables the HSD to purchase parts and pay operations and custodial staff who make sure our campuses are in excellent condition for our students, staff, and community.
Before (l) and after (r) swing support brackets were replaced summer of 2024