An inclusive playground for Canyon Springs Community School was approved on a unanimous decision Wednesday by the Sulphur Springs Union School District governing board.
The play structure will cost $289,063 and will be paid for by the district’s general fund. Sun County Playgrounds Inc. was approved by the board of trustees as the company set to build the apparatus, according to the board meeting agenda.
The inclusive playground was recommended by Superintendent Catherine Kawaguchi, who was eager and excited to share renderings of the apparatus and the details making it an inclusive play space for all children, including those with special needs.
“We were the first district in the entire [Santa Clarita] Valley to have an inclusive playground,” she said referring to Valley View Community School’s playground, which opened in 2017. It was also nationally recognized by a health care staffing company in 2023.
“We’re talking about all children having access,” Kawaguchi said. “No matter what their abilities level, we’re going to make sure they have the opportunity to play and engage.”
Canyon Springs Community School has many students with needs, according to Kawaguchi, and will be receiving the ninth inclusive play structure in the Sulphur Springs district.
The wilderness-themed playground, which aligns with the school’s mascot, will be built in the primary area and is expected to open in August.
The play structure’s features will include: a ramp for wheelchair and walker access, a shaded area for environmental conditions, a swing set with back support, a music garden, and areas where all principles of play can be explored.
The play structure will also have a sign language section for the school’s deaf and hard of hearing students, Kawaguchi added.
The governing board boasted of serving as an inclusive playground model in the Santa Clarita Valley and also serving as an example for the Simi Valley Unified School District, which has begun incorporating more play structures for children of all abilities, according to Kawaguchi.
Board member Shelley Weinstein made the motion to approve the inclusive playground action item. Lori MacDonald seconded the item, which was then approved by the rest of the governing board in a unanimous decision.
