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Swing sets removed at some W.Va. schools
AP ^ | 9/1/10 | John Raby

Posted on 09/01/2010 1:49:14 PM PDT by MissTed

CHARLESTON, W.Va.—Elementary school playgrounds in one West Virginia county are losing their swing sets.

Swings are being removed from Cabell County schools in southern West Virginia in part because of lawsuits over injuries.

Cabell County schools safety manager Tim Stewart said Wednesday that a lot of parents are accusing him of being un-American, but he says the cost of maintaining a safe surface is too expensive.

Stewart says a lawsuit in the past year involved a youngster who broke his arm jumping off a swing like Superman. It was settled for $20,000.

Other equipment such as monkey bars will remain. Stewart says the schools are able to maintain the proper protection underneath them.


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Good grief. At my daughter's school, they're not allowed to play patty-cake because it involves "touching".
1 posted on 09/01/2010 1:49:14 PM PDT by MissTed
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To: MissTed

Pretty soon all school play will revolve around playing Mime in a seated position.

(Well, until someone sues...)


2 posted on 09/01/2010 1:54:50 PM PDT by libertarian27 (Ingsoc: Department of Life, Department of Liberty, Department of Happiness)
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To: MissTed

Shoosh, I guess “Bag-O-Glass” will be removed as well? Don’t you just love lawyers? Somebody does something stupid and gets rewarded for it.


3 posted on 09/01/2010 1:54:50 PM PDT by equalitybeforethelaw
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To: MissTed
After my son broke his ankle at a church playground, our medical insurance company sent a very detailed letter wanting to know exactly what happened, as if the church was to blame. I ignored the letter because it was an accident and not the fault of the church. My son wore his swim socks to the camp that was held there, because he couldn't find his tennis shoes. Some innocent roughhousing took place and voila --he got a broken ankle.

I resent the fact that my medical insurance insisted on finding the church legally culpable.

4 posted on 09/01/2010 1:56:12 PM PDT by Slyfox
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To: MissTed

What happened to motherhood and fatherhood in this society? Who DIDN’T play on a swing as a child?


5 posted on 09/01/2010 1:56:27 PM PDT by Clock King (Ellisworth Toohey was right: My head's gonna explode.)
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To: MissTed
Nanny State Next:


6 posted on 09/01/2010 1:57:06 PM PDT by TruthHound ("He who does not punish evil commands it to be done." --Leonardo da Vinci)
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To: MissTed
The monkey bars will remain. I broke my arm way back in 1962 playing on the monkey bars. Swings were no problem.
7 posted on 09/01/2010 1:58:12 PM PDT by 4yearlurker (Gus the Scotty dog likes cheese!)
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To: MissTed

Isn’t there some way to counter sue this lawyers and leeches of our nation? Some way, even if it involves twisting the law to an obscene level?


8 posted on 09/01/2010 1:58:12 PM PDT by Clock King (Ellisworth Toohey was right: My head's gonna explode.)
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To: MissTed

The initial impulse is to blame the school as being overly protective on something like this but this isn’t the school’s fault. Parents have gotten sue-happy and if little Johnny falls off the swing and breaks his leg, you can bet a lawsuit is coming.

When I was a kid—years ago—I can think of several kids who broke bones juming off swings or on the monkey bars. I know dozens—myself included—who hurt themselves on the playground. I can’t think of one parent who sued then.


9 posted on 09/01/2010 1:58:28 PM PDT by Opinionated Blowhard
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To: MissTed

And people wonder why kids are obese these days. SHEESH.


10 posted on 09/01/2010 1:58:57 PM PDT by VictoryGal (Never give up, never surrender! REMEMBER NEDA)
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To: MissTed
a lot of parents are accusing him of being un-American

Those parents need to go have a "conversation" with the lawsuit parents, and "encourage" them to "donate" the $20,000 back to the school - and let it be known around town that suit-happy folks are welcome to keep their kids off the playgrounds.

The power is ultimately in the hands of the community. Not the principals, nor the judges, nor the federales, but the communities.
11 posted on 09/01/2010 2:00:50 PM PDT by LearsFool ("Thou shouldst not have been old, till thou hadst been wise.")
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To: libertarian27

*Pretty soon all school play will revolve around playing Mime in a seated position.*

It’s racist...all the mimes are white!


12 posted on 09/01/2010 2:01:55 PM PDT by PATRIOT1876 (Language, Borders, Culture, Full employment for those here legally)
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To: MissTed

When I was a kid there was an amazing playground with all manner of swings, slides, climbing structures (concrete ships, castles, etc.) It’s gone now. Killed by lawsuits. The lawyers are killing childhood.


13 posted on 09/01/2010 2:01:59 PM PDT by VictoryGal (Never give up, never surrender! REMEMBER NEDA)
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To: MissTed

And by the way, the primary culprit isn’t a lawyer—its the parent. Lawyers can’t sue without a client. Parents have bought into the new American “something for nothing” culture where if your kid gets hurt, there has to be someone to blame and, of course, sue.


14 posted on 09/01/2010 2:04:47 PM PDT by Opinionated Blowhard
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To: Opinionated Blowhard

If kids never get banged up there is something wrong with them to begin with.


15 posted on 09/01/2010 2:07:42 PM PDT by SWAMPSNIPER (The Second Amendment, A Matter Of Fact, Not A Matter Of Opinion)
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To: MissTed

Used to be the Atlanta public schools had immunity against this sort of thing. Good thing, too, because the grounds were distressed, eroded, exposing drain pipes and big tree stumps. Rather, our Atlanta City taxes went to pay for big purple hats and cadillacs.


16 posted on 09/01/2010 2:11:14 PM PDT by hoe_cake ( Society of the Descendants of the Signers of the Constitution)
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To: MissTed

The poor durn kids will have to wheel around in a habitrail ball with a helmet on for recess


17 posted on 09/01/2010 2:13:02 PM PDT by PATRIOT1876 (Language, Borders, Culture, Full employment for those here legally)
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To: SWAMPSNIPER

A most bizarre phenomenon around here...all the parents in a neighborhood drive their kids INDIVIDUALLY 200 yds down the road to the bus stop and watch the kids board the bus. The reverse sequence takes place each afternoon. In addition the bus stops every 200 ft.

Mind you, this is in a semi-rural area with zero crime.

Why is Johnny fat? Because he doesn’t walk anywhere! In addition his parents treat him like the Last Emperor.


18 posted on 09/01/2010 2:13:36 PM PDT by relictele (Me lumen vos umbra regit)
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To: Clock King

and here I just taught my 5 yr old HOW to properly jump out of a swing...


19 posted on 09/01/2010 2:14:04 PM PDT by MrB (The difference between a (de)humanist and a Satanist is that the latter knows who he's working for.)
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To: MissTed

I used to jump off the swings at my elementary schools. We had bark to land in. Slivers galore for the rest of the day, but it was worth it. We also had metal slides, metal monkey bars, a big concrete “T” (like for sewers) to run through and climb on, other things to climb on, and basketball courts, we had a big grass field where we, as a class, played Red Rover, soccer, football (flag), baseball, kickball, softball, tag, had snowball fights (approved by the school admin), and three recesses a day to expend pent-up energy (one mid-morning, one as part of lunch, and one mid-afternoon).


20 posted on 09/01/2010 2:14:41 PM PDT by IYAS9YAS (Liberalism can be summed up thusly: someone craps their pants and we all have to wear diapers)
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