Use your text, the following links, and other resources you may find to create a PowerPoint presentation that addresses:
Negligence.
The elements that must be present to have a valid cause for negligence.
Negligence defenses.
Any related or relevant case law.
Finally, go to play areas in your school district and check the safety of your play areas against the criteria found at http://www.kaboom.org/Links to an external site. and the Handbook for Public Playground Safety at https://www.cpsc.gov/s3fs-public/325.pdfLinks to an external site.. Using these documents and the summary below, inspect your play areas not only from the mindset and height of an adult but also to view the area from the height and perspective of a child at play to identify otherwise hidden dangers or behaviors that could contribute to injuries:
Surfaces around playground equipment have adequate depths of wood chips, mulch, sand, pea gravel or adequate mats made of safety-tested materials.
Protective surfacing extends at least 6 feet in all directions from play equipment. For swings, be sure surfacing extends, in back and front, twice the height of the suspending bar. Swings should not be made of hard materials that could cause a striking injury.
Make sure play structures more than 30 inches high are spaced at least 9 feet apart and that no ropes or other strangling hazards are ever attached to high equipment.
Check for dangerous hardware, including any protruding bolts, open “S” hooks, chains that could pinch, or any hardware that could catch children’s clothing or skin.
Check for spaces that could trap children, such as openings in guardrails or between ladder rungs that measure less than 3.5 inches or more than 9 inches.
Check for sharp points or edges on all equipment.
Look for tripping hazards in the area, including heaved sidewalks, broken concrete, exposed concrete footings, tree stumps, roots, rocks, drain pipes, etc.
Ensure all elevated surfaces, such as platforms and ramps, have adequate guardrails to prevent falls.
Check the play area regularly to see that no dangerous objects, such as broken glass, nails, etc., are present, and that equipment and surfacing are maintained in good condition.
Make sure that school planning and policies provide for adequate supervision of children on playgrounds to make sure they’re safe from any foreseeable dangers from equipment, animals (including dogs, bees, fire ants, spiders, snakes, etc.), outside persons, or other students in any secluded areas.
*Include evidence (i.e. pictures) of safe and unsafe playground equipment/areas in your presentation.
