School sandbox off-limits since syringe scare

[unhappycamper]

School sandbox off-limits since syringe scare
By Sandra Jontz, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Saturday, February 9, 2008

NAPLES, Italy — Naples Elementary School students haven’t been able to build castles in the sand for more than a week after a teacher found a plastic syringe in the sandbox.

On Jan. 31, a teacher found the syringe — with no needle — in the sandbox used by the Sure Start preschool children and immediately removed the youngsters from the play area, said Denise Webster, the school’s assistant principal.

Employees of Mirabella — the base’s private service contractor — promptly removed the sand and refilled the roughly 6-foot-by-6-foot sandbox with new sand. But that, too, contained debris, such as plastic bags, plant roots and broken tiles.

The school has no authority to mandate that Mirabella, the Italian construction company that provides maintenance service for the support site base in Gricignano, use playground-approved sand, Webster said. School officials decided this week to stop using sand provided by the contractor.

Children have not played in the sandbox since Jan. 31, Webster said.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=52322