‘Just dirt and weeds’: LPS student gets more than 1,000 signatures to improve schoolyards

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — At a Lincoln Public Schools board public forum Wednesday night, one teenager raised her budgetary concerns.

Bailey Braden, 15, suggested the board include more money for LPS schoolyards in the upcoming budget.

The board went over its budget plans for 2025-26 and detailed how much it plans to spend and why.

But Bailey laid out a detailed concern with the fields that students play on during recess, saying the grass isn’t well maintained and can become difficult to play certain sports on.

The incoming freshman moved to Lincoln four years ago and said she’s never seen problems like this anywhere else.

“We’ve been to several different schools, and all those fields there are really nice, so coming here was kind of a shock,” she said. “Cause it’s not fun to play soccer on.”

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She worked on her proposal for the board for months and racked up over 1,000 signatures from K-8 students and parents all sharing the same concern.

“It’s making me more determined because all of those groups of kids that are playing in awful conditions, it’s making me want to get it for them,” Bailey said.

Her father, Samuel Braden, also weighed in.

“We’ve driven around all of Lincoln and taken pictures, and all the fields are pretty universally just dirt and weeds,” he said.

Board members listened carefully to Bailey suggestion and said they will take it into account.

But one board member added that droughts have played a part in the poor conditions.

“About every three to five years, we have to go through water restrictions for the whole community,” Barbara Baier said. “That’s an influence on the quality of fields and things like that. We’re so drought prone.”

Samuel Braden said students should have the best place to play as possible.

“I think if you were to go around the community and the homes of all the board members in the school district and the people making budgetary decisions, that their lawns would look significantly different than we’re asking the kids to play on,” he said. “We should have a similar standard of where the students spend their time.”