After more than three years, Martin Elementary School celebrated the completion of a new Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant playground with a ribbon-cutting on Friday, Oct. 10.
The new playground, which was added on to an approximately 20- to 30-year-old existing structure, features ramps for children in wheelchairs, musical components and a communication board that allows students with expressive language difficulties to communicate their needs.
Jeremy Floman, a teacher at Martin Elementary and member of the Martin School Association, which has been involved in the project since its start, spoke to the crowd of kindergarten and first grade students about how the idea for an ADA-compliant playground came to be.
During Floman’s first years teaching at the school, he watched a student in a wheelchair try to play in a recess environment that worked for most children, but not all. He said the student’s only option was to ride around on the blacktop, with little peer interaction, watching the other children enjoy a range of activities.
“After three years of hard work, Martin School and the North Attleborough community now have a playground that meets the physical, social-emotional and communication needs of today and for generations to come,” said Floman.
State Rep. Adam Scanlon (D-North Attleborough) recalled a conversation he had with former Martin Elementary Principal Jennifer Evans, when the idea for an all-inclusive playground was first pitched to him.
Scanlon secured $50,000 from the state in the fall of 2024 to help make the playground a reality. Local businesses made donations to the project.
“Today is about you – today you are my constituents too,” said Scanlon to the group of students looking up at him. “You all live in North Attleborough, and our job is to represent your interests and your wishes, and that’s what we’re doing here today. Things like this don’t happen unless people lend a hand and chip in, and that’s the kind of community and town North Attleborough is and always will be.”
Martin Elementary Principal Andrew Benharris joined Evans, Scanlon, Floman and a parent volunteer to cut the ribbon and give students an extra 10 minutes of recess to celebrate.
Members of the association, School Committee members, Town Manager Michael Borg, Superintendent John Antonucci and other school officials were also at the ceremony and thanked by Benharris and Evans for their contributions to the project.
“This is more than just slides and swings, this is about being included,” Benharris said. “This is about showing respect to our fellow students, and now it’s open to everybody.”