ESPC Playground & Bus Supervision Safety 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A student falls from the monkey bars and is unresponsive. What is the FIRST action a paraprofessional should take?
- Call the student's parents immediately
- Send another student to get help while staying with the injured child (Correct answer)
- Move the child to a safer area away from equipment
- Continue supervising other students and wait for the child to wake up
Correct answer: Send another student to get help while staying with the injured child
The paraprofessional should never leave an unresponsive student alone; sending another student for help while remaining on scene is the correct protocol.
Question 2: During bus supervision, a student begins choking on a snack. The student can still cough forcefully. What should the supervisor do?
- Immediately perform abdominal thrusts
- Encourage the student to keep coughing and monitor closely (Correct answer)
- Lay the student down flat on the bus floor
- Call 911 and do nothing else until help arrives
Correct answer: Encourage the student to keep coughing and monitor closely
A student who can cough forcefully is moving air and should be encouraged to keep coughing, as this is the most effective way to clear a mild obstruction.
Question 3: Which of the following is the safest surface material under playground equipment according to safety standards?
- Concrete
- Asphalt
- Packed dirt
- Engineered wood chips (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Engineered wood chips
Engineered wood chips are an approved loose-fill material that meets ASTM impact attenuation standards to reduce fall-related injuries.
Question 4: A student on the bus is standing in the aisle while the bus is moving. What should the supervisor do FIRST?
- Ignore it if the student is older than 10
- Ask the driver to stop and handle it
- Calmly but firmly direct the student to sit down immediately (Correct answer)
- Write a disciplinary report and handle it after arrival
Correct answer: Calmly but firmly direct the student to sit down immediately
The immediate safety risk requires the supervisor to direct the student to sit down right away, as standing during transit is a serious hazard.
Question 5: A paraprofessional notices a piece of playground equipment has a broken component with a sharp edge. What is the correct response?
- Fix the equipment themselves to save time
- Allow students to use other parts of the equipment while avoiding the broken section
- Remove students from the equipment and report it to administration immediately (Correct answer)
- Place a verbal warning to students and continue supervising
Correct answer: Remove students from the equipment and report it to administration immediately
Broken equipment with sharp edges poses immediate danger; students must be removed and the hazard reported so it can be properly repaired or blocked off.
Question 6: What is the recommended minimum depth of loose-fill playground surfacing material such as wood chips under equipment with a maximum fall height of 8 feet?
- 3 inches
- 6 inches
- 9 inches
- 12 inches (Correct answer)
Correct answer: 12 inches
CPSC guidelines recommend at least 12 inches of loose-fill material under equipment with fall heights up to 8 feet to provide adequate impact protection.
Question 7: During outdoor recess, a student with a known bee allergy is stung. The student says they feel fine. What should the supervisor do?
- Tell the student to sit down and watch them until recess is over
- Send the student back to play since they feel fine
- Immediately escort the student to the nurse and notify appropriate staff (Correct answer)
- Give the student water and call their parents after school
Correct answer: Immediately escort the student to the nurse and notify appropriate staff
Anaphylactic reactions to bee stings can be delayed; a student with a known allergy must be seen by the nurse immediately regardless of initial symptoms.
ESPC Playground & Bus Supervision Safety 2
A student falls from the monkey bars and is unresponsive.
What is the FIRST action a paraprofessional should take?