A group of preschoolers from Enfield was asked to leave the splash pad at Nevers Park in South Windsor on Wednesday, prompting frustration from parents who say town officials handled the situation poorly and unfairly.
Thirty-eight children from the Enfield Child Development Center, ages 4 and 5, arrived at the splash pad for what was supposed to be a celebratory end-of-summer field trip.
“They graduate preschool on Friday, so this was kind of their last field trip and hoorah as a group,” said Christina Doughtie, a parent from Enfield. “They were all crying; they were very upset.”
But they say things quickly went south when they were told to leave by South Windsor officials, including a town councilman and the town manager.
“We noticed that town councilman Mike Oullette was there with his grandchildren, and he did approach the director of the preschool, saying, 'This is for residents only, I’m going to call the parks and rec supervisor,’” Doughtie said. “She said, 'OK, go ahead, I’ve been in coordination with parks and rec since April.' They knew the date, they knew we were coming, they confirmed that you do not need written or formal approval to show up at the park with a group.”
According to her, the situation escalated when the town manager arrived on site.
“He pretty much stood firm and said, 'this is for residents only,'” she said. “He was very abrasive, unprofessional, the situation was just handled all wrong and we’re very disappointed.”
In a statement, South Windsor Town Manager Michael Maniscalco said: “…two busloads of children unexpectedly showed up at the Town splash pad, causing an overcrowding condition and impacting residents’ ability to safely and comfortably use the facility. We offered the playground and other parts of the park to the group. Had they called ahead and worked with our Parks and Rec staff, we could have worked with them.”
Oullette responded to NBC Connecticut with the same statement.
The group eventually left, and that evening, a new sign appeared at the entrance of the splash pad, stating: “Use of these facilities by organized groups and camps is not allowed without prior authorization from South Windsor Parks and Recreation.”
Parents say no such sign was present during previous trips.
“We do this field trip every year. This is the last field trip of the preschool summer program before they graduate on Friday,” Doughtie said. “We divide the classrooms into groups of 15, so that we can rotate throughout the park. We do that to avoid the overcrowding that the town manager was speaking of yesterday.”
Despite Maniscalco’s claim that alternatives were offered, including the playground and other park areas, Doughtie said that wasn’t a reasonable solution.
“You make 200k a year, you pull up to the splash pad in your Mercedes to bully 4-and 5-year-old children, and to be disrespectful to our child’s public educators. So that’s not acceptable in my opinion,” she said.
Another parent, Lindsay Martinez of East Hartford, also voiced her frustration.
“It’s for the kids. Four and 5 years olds should be able to come and play and have a great time, just like all my kids. I’m from East Hartford, and I love coming here,” she said. “There’s plenty of room for everybody to come.”
Martinez added that if the town begins charging or enforcing strict resident-only policies, she likely won’t return.
“If they started charging, I wouldn’t come here,” she said.
In a statement from Enfield Town Manager Matthew W. Coppler, he defended the preschool's planning efforts:
“Our staff made every effort to plan the trip responsibly, including contacting South Windsor Parks & Recreation both during the initial planning phase in March and again the day before the visit. At no point were we informed of any restrictions on out-of-town groups. Based on that information, we proceeded in good faith. Despite this setback, we remain committed to offering enriching and well-organized experiences for the children in our care,” Coppler said.
Maniscalco said in a statement on Friday that there is no written permission or communications that was issued to the Enfield Child Development Center or Enfield Human Services from the Parks& Rec Department for the field trip.
There was an informal conversation outside of working hours between two friends who work for the Town of South Windsor and the Enfield Child Development Center but no request was made during that conversation for the use of the splash pad nor was permission given, he added.
He said the Parks & Rec Department has not allowed requests for field trips to the splash pad since the facility was not built for that purpose and is not meant for handling that type of use.
Parents like Doughtie say they’re hoping for more community-minded decisions moving forward.
“I would really just like our communities to come together and be more inclusive. We’re neighbors,” she said. “I think that mindset of, 'you don’t live here so get out,' it’s just frankly wrong. Going forward I’d like to see a better sense of community.”
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