Parents take action to save recess space due to electrical upgrades at South Philly school

SOUTH PHILADELPHIA - An online petition is circulating at the Fanny Jackson Coppin School community regarding concern over the possibility of losing play space due to necessary electrical upgrades at the century old school.

Katie Grosh started the online petition two weeks ago to raise awareness. She has three children who attend the school and volunteers there full-time.

"In the process of getting that electrical upgrade, unfortunately some utility boxes have to be installed as part of that and the placement of those utility boxes is actually going to take away some of the play space from the play yard," said Grosh. "Kids are heartbroken they can’t play their soccer game for 20 minutes in the middle of their day, that they can’t play kickball anymore, that there’s no room for them to play."

David Looby is also a parent volunteer who supervises playtime during recess. The parents explain there are about 500 children who attend school at Fanny Jackson Coppin, and there are three 20-minute recess periods.

"The school yard is not very big to start with, so it can be a bit hectic," said Looby. "The crowding, the stress that it puts both on the children and on the adults trying to supervise them."

Parents said they are grateful a new electrical system is being installed, but hope the School District of Philadelphia (SDP) and PECO will work with families to consider a different layout to maximize good play during recess.

"We all want the best for these kids, everybody wants the kids to be able to play at recess," said Grosh. "

SDP said a meeting is already scheduled to address these concerns with families on Tuesday morning. The spokesperson said PECO and the design team of the electrical units will be there to answer any questions.