Trash And Vandalism A Problem At Twin Falls Schools, Playgrounds

What started out as a trip to an area playground over the weekend to let my kid burn off some energy, ended up being an effort to remove a large number of trash and a discussion among family about people vandalizing school property.

On a Twin Falls school playground where a large number of trash cans can be found throughout the property, certain people are instead choosing to dispose of their garbage in areas where young kids play between classes. The trash is one thing, but even more shameful were the obvious signs that those responsible are also bored to the point at which they are purposely causing damage to sections of the playground.

We took our son on Sunday to Sawtooth Elementary School to get a look at what will be his second home in a couple of weeks when he starts school for the first time. When we arrived there were a few parents watching their young ones on swings and slides, doing what kids do when they are set free on the playground. Shortly after we arrived, more people showed up to ride bikes and play basketball.

Another reason we were there, was so our son could get some time riding his bike in a safe environment. As I looked around the school's playground, I soon realized there were more discarded, drained plastic lighters than actual kids in the area. Someone emptied a couple of them in an attempt to burn a hole into one of the structure's rubber walking paths.

To those that are responsible for these actions, please stop being lazy and throwing your trash in areas where our kids are trying to socialize and enjoy time with their families. And if you're purposely trying to destroy school property, you should find something better to do with your free time. It's pathetic to intentially damage a kid's playground.

This isn't the first time I've noticed this type of damage and laziness in handling garbage at area schools and parks. Are you finding a lot of trash and property damage when you take your kids to Twin Falls' playgrounds, and if so, what are some of the items you are seeing discarded?

Greg Jannetta