Brookline parents concerned about hot school playground: "Surface temps of 130, 150 degrees"

While warm weather is drawing families outdoors across Greater Boston, some parents in Brookline are raising concerns about dangerously hot playground surfaces at a local school. 

Nicole McClelland said she began measuring temperatures on the relatively new playgrounds at the Driscoll School, where her daughter attends, and was shocked by what she found. 

"Surface temps of 130, 150 degrees, I really couldn't believe it," McClelland said of temperature readings on slides, obstacles and the ground where students play. "You can see on the playgrounds, there's no shade and we're looking for a solution sooner rather than later."

While hot playground equipment is no rarity, they can be dangerous. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, burns have been associated with hot slides, swings, dark-colored plastics, rubber surfaces and even nearby asphalt. 

"One reported incident occurred on a 74°F day and resulted in a child receiving serious second‐degree burns from a plastic slide," according to CPSC data.

CPSC recommends parents and guardians check the temperature of playground equipment before letting young children on. 

"On a day like today, I think it's 81. We're probably going to see temps that are 130 and up because it's so concentrated," McClelland said. "Our rooftop playground is surrounded by bricks. And reflective windows on two sides and it's south-facing. So, you really couldn't make it a better heat island if you tried and especially without any shade. So, we need that mitigation." 

Other parents have also voiced concerns, including Brookline Town Meeting member Melissa Vogt, who says the heat at Driscoll turned up in a recent meeting. 

"No one wants to be cooking preschoolers out here," Vogt said. "So, we're really hoping that we can get some shade, either install those umbrellas, install something else, and just keep the area safe for our kids and for our teaching staff." 

Parents are calling for shade structures or other solutions to reduce temperatures on the playground. 

"We will take anything we can get at this point, a shade sail," McClelland explained. "We were told the trees would provide shade in 10 years. So, for the kids that are here 10 years from now, that'll be great. But for the kids that are here now and the teachers that are out in this, we need a solution sooner." 

"Our buildings are designed not just for school use, but for community use. We have summer programming here all summer. It's not like once the school year ends, this is no longer a problem. We're going to have camps here and summer programming. So, it is going to be used year-round," McClelland added. 

In a statement the Town of Brookline says they are aware of the concerns and "moving forward, the Parks Division, Building Department and Driscoll School leadership will work together to find a solution for a safe and structurally sound shade structure to allow use of the rooftop playground during sunny and warm days."

In the interim they say the rooftop park will only be used during cool or overcast days. When it comes to the other playground, the town is "evaluating the need for additional shade trees or structures. The community's request has been referred to the Parks and Recreation Commission, which oversees the formal process for assessing and prioritizing enhancements across all Town play spaces."