A hop, skip, and a jump: A case study examining playground safety practices and policies within a mid-size school district

Although national playground safety standards and guidelines exist, more than 200,000 children are injured on playgrounds each year seriously enough to warrant emergency medical treatment. The most frequent site for these injuries is on the school playground. This qualitative case study discusses the schools conformance to national playground safety standards and guidelines and discusses the factors that affect alignment to these standards. Limited stakeholder knowledge and accountability for playground safety, and splintered communication processes within the school create unsafe play environments for children. Through the comprehensive formulation and implementation of playground safety policy, schools can take proactive roles in keeping children safe.