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Schools throughout the majority of the nation now require physical education. In fact, forty-two states make physical education class mandatory to graduate. What is the result of the emphasis on physical fitness, besides taking a stab at the growing obesity issue among our young? A high occurrence of sports related injuries and even death. What happens to those students who are obese and required to participate in sports? What needs to change in the gymnasium to accommodate fitness classes? What is the effect of Substitute teachers stepping in to supervise these classes?

Imagine a three hundred and twenty seven pound student running up and down the court for twenty minutes in a hot gym without being given the opportunity for water breaks. The regular physical education teacher was out and the class was being supervised by an art teacher. The art teacher was apparently in pretty good physical shape since he played basketball with the students. The three hundred twenty pound student continued playing and after twenty minutes, collapsed. He was rushed to a nearby hospital and was pronounced dead.

Another popular usage in schools right now is the frequency of substitute teachers. The student that has a health issue gives the regular teacher the doctors note excusing the student from activity, but the substitute teacher whom doesn’t physically see the “note” requires the student to participate. This irresponsible supervision results in catastrophe.

How many more cases of students dying or suffering brain damage or spinal injuries do we have to read about? Pad all areas in the gym that a student has the potential to run in to. When a student’s skull slams into a concrete wall, it most certainly will be a devastating impact. Now that there is a lot more activity in the gym besides basketball, schools need to responsibly pad more than just a 12 foot backstop.

Patrick Conlon, president of SportsGraphics (the original wall pad company) says that his company has been making wall pads for schools for two and half decades. The common question his safety and image consultants hear is, ‘what am I a liable to pad?’ “I tell them that they need to adopt the prudent, reasonable standard of protecting their students. They will be safe with that premise. The amount of padding depends on the amount of usage in the gym. If the gym is used for kick ball, drills and cheerleading then you need to pad most of the gym, or at least the cement walls and any equipment, poles, columns etc. that protrude. ”

When athletic directors and administrator question merely what they are liable for, are they forgetting common sense? If it poses a threat; be proactive to prevent accidents. If school budgets are tight, educate parents on safety issues. Think about it this way; if their child is injured there are plenty of attorneys that would love to “educate” them on your failure to protect. When parents see you going to extra measures to make your facilities as safe as possible they will contribute to raising the money for these superior safety precautions. It will save lives, accidents and potentially millions in lawsuits.

For more information on how to make your facility and programs safer follow the risk management plan written by Dr. Richard p. Borkowski, EdD, CMAA in his most recent book Coaching for Safety, A risk Management Handbook for High School Coaches, published by ESD112. Also visit www.sportsgraphicsinc.com for wall padding, bleacher end-closures, crowd control barriers, sideliners, and other safety products manufactured specifically for high schools and middle schools.