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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES             H.R. NO.              
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2000                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                     HOUSE  RESOLUTION

URGING THE INITIATION OF A COORDINATED EFFORT TO IMPROVE SCHOOL
   PLAYGROUNDS.



 1       WHEREAS, children learn a substantial amount of social,
 2   emotional, and physical skills outside of the classroom during
 3   play and recreation on the playgrounds of their schools; and
 4   
 5       WHEREAS, many of Hawaii's schools have substandard, unsafe,
 6   or not universally accessible playgrounds that need to be
 7   better equipped, surfaced, or otherwise improved; and 
 8   
 9       WHEREAS, noncompliance with safety guidelines has forced
10   the condemnation of some playground equipment in nearly all of
11   Hawaii's 179 elementary schools; and 
12   
13       WHEREAS, 70 percent of playground injuries are attributable
14   to falls onto the surface of a playground, and only two percent
15   of Hawaii's playgrounds were found to have adequate surfacing
16   materials; and
17   
18       WHEREAS, fiscal constraints make it difficult to make all
19   of the necessary repairs and improvements to playgrounds,
20   keeping many young students without an adequate area in which
21   to play; and 
22   
23       WHEREAS, a coordinated effort between governmental
24   agencies, private supporters, and community groups to maximize
25   resources and generate an action plan is necessary if Hawaii's
26   children are to be provided with safe and fun play areas at
27   school; now, therefore,
28   
29       BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the
30   Twentieth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session
31   of 2000, that the Departments of Education (DOE), Public
32   Safety, and Accounting and General Services are urged to
33   initiate a coordinated effort to improve Hawaii's playgrounds
34   consisting of the following and other creative initiatives:
35   
36       (1)  Developing a mechanism by which DOE may accept
37            donations of materials for the improvement of
38            playground equipment and safety features;

 
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 1       (2)  The procurement and use of recycled materials from
 2            public and private sources; 
 3   
 4       (3)  The coordination and use of community resources and
 5            volunteers in the solicitation of funds and materials
 6            and labor for construction and renovation;
 7   
 8       (4)  The use of prison inmates as labor for construction
 9            and renovation; and 
10   
11       (5)  The development of an "Adopt-A-Playground" program to
12            facilitate the maintenance and supervision of
13            playgrounds;
14   
15       and
16   
17       BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this
18   Resolution be transmitted to the Superintendent of Education,
19   the Director of Public Safety, and the Director of Accounting
20   and General Services.
21 
22 
23 
24                         OFFERED BY:  ____________________________