KENOSHA, Wis. — For more than 30 years, the playground behind Frank Elementary School has been a community staple—a place where children played and built lifelong memories. But now, that playground is gone.
Due to growing safety concerns, the district recently made the decision to permanently close and remove the structure. That news hit hard for the families and teachers who have been working for years to raise funds for a new playground.
"It was heartbreaking," said Mitch Thomas, a teacher at Frank Elementary. "It's not just for the kids here, it's for the kids and the families who live around here, so I know lots of families were sad."
In past months, local businesses and residents stepped up, contributing about $21,000 to the effort. One generous donation of $15,000 came from a local business. But according to school staff, without continued support, there’s no clear timeline for when it will be rebuilt.
Parents said the loss is being felt far beyond school hours.
“It’s not just for the school, it’s for the community,” said Miriam Pascual, whose daughter attends Frank. “We know other playgrounds have gone up in Kenosha, and we’re hoping our school can be considered too.”
One parent, Teneille Carlson, said her son was injured on the aging equipment. While she understands the need to take it down, she’s frustrated that more couldn’t have been done sooner.
Watch: Frank Elementary School community mourns loss of playground
“We have a very large community of children around here that love that playground and cherish that playground and now they don’t have it anymore and it’s sad," Carlson said. “These kids deserve better."
Students like Brisa Pascual, said that recess just isn’t the same.
“Now we don’t have a playground and it’s kind of boring now because our playground had like big slides,” Brisa said. “Some kids, when they found out that it was getting torn down, they felt sad that they wouldn’t have a playground anymore."
The Frank Elementary community continues to look for donors and supporters willing to help finish what they started. Teachers and parents said that even small donations bring them one step closer to giving kids back a safe space to play.
If you’re interested in donating, visit this website.
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