![]() If a kid falls off, the child could "get hit in the back of the head or it will flip up and hit him in the face," Thompson said.Xccent Play was founded in the 1970s as Nickelson Plastics by David Nickelson. ![]() The manufacturer says as many as 22 kids can get on the equipment at once, and that means children are likely to be falling off and trying to climb back on while the bench seats are going up and down, he said. Thom Thompson, a playground equipment consultant from Issaquah, Wash., said he isn't familiar with the X-Wave, but after looking at the device on the Internet he said he would not recommend it to any school where he serves as a consultant. Jerry Hood, superintendent at Keyes, said he looked at X-Wave equipment at one point but decided not to buy it. X-Wave devices also are at Oklahoma City's Oakridge Elementary School and at two Putnam City elementary schools, Coronado Heights and Northridge, but officials have cordoned them off and are in the process of having them removed. Several districts have decided to remove the devices without waiting for investigation results.Īt Grove Valley Elementary School in the Deer Creek School District, a safety fence is up around an X-Wave and children are not allowed to play on it.ĭebbie Straughn, Grove Valley principal, sent a letter to parents saying the superintendent and company that sold the equipment to the school have been notified and "the safety fence will stay in place until the company removes the equipment."īrenda Lyons, associate superintendent at Edmond Public Schools, said X-Wave equipment at two schools in the district has been removed. Siano said Norman schools have had versions of X-Wave at some schools as long as six years and have never had an accident. "We're not allowing children to use them and waiting to see what they (investigators) find out." "Basically, what we've done is restricted their use," Siano said. ![]() Ken Murphy, Wyandotte Nation tribal police chief, said last week Alyssa was playing with other children on an X-Wave when she fell. Oklahoma school administrators have been scrutinizing the safety of the devices after an accident last Thursday in which Wyandotte fourth-grader Alyssa Avila was fatally injured while playing on one. ![]() The list price for an X-Wave in the manufacturer's catalog is $5,299. Matt Stewart, quality control manager for X-Wave manufacturer Xccent Inc., refused to discuss how many units have been sold to Oklahoma schools and whether the company has received any complaints about the equipment.Ī company representative is scheduled to be at the Wyandotte school this week, he said. "We don't take chances with the safety of children," she said.Įxactly how many X-Waves are on playgrounds in Oklahoma is unknown since there is no central collection point for such information. The Moore School District had an X-Wave at Santa Fe Elementary School, but it already has been removed, said Superintendent Susan Pierce. They already have either removed the devices or blocked children from playing on the equipment while contemplating removal. Moore, Edmond, Oklahoma City, Putnam City, Deer Creek and Norman are among a number of Oklahoma school districts that had versions of the X-Wave on their playgrounds. Many school districts across Oklahoma have rushed to remove or are considering removal of teeter-totter-like playground equipment called X-Waves after a 9-year-old Wyandotte girl was fatally injured while playing on one last Thursday.
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