After McLane Elementary School welcomed roughly 30 kids into its new Life Skills Program last year, school staff realized that the grounds needed some updates to better accommodate the growing population of students with diverse abilities and needs.
McLane’s parent-teacher-student organization (PTSO) is currently raising funds to replace the school’s outdated playground with one that is accessible to the more than 50 students in McLane’s various special education programs.
“Our students and staff deserve spaces that are inclusive, safe, and accessible for everyone,” said PTSO fundraising manager Alisha Drabner.
McLane Elementary School’s special education programs include a Developmental Learning Classroom (DLC), which provides specialized and individualized support for students with moderate cognitive delays.
One of McLane’s DLC teachers, Alex Davidson, recently received an “Educator of the Year” from the Olympia Education Association and a “Champion of Differences” award from the Olympia School District.
“McLane Elementary is so lucky to have Alex, especially within our special education programs,” Drabner said. “His dedication, compassion, and advocacy for students make a difference every single day.”
The school also offers general specialized services like speech therapy, and an Early Childhood Special Education program that houses the school’s developmental preschool and early childhood education assistance program (ECEAP).
The Life Skills program is McLane’s most-recent addition to its special education offerings. The program specifically supports students with severe or profound developmental disabilities, with a focus on teaching communication, daily living skills, adaptive behaviors and vocational readiness.
McLane is the first and only school in the Olympia School District to offer the program.
Drabner said she is grateful that McLane is offering the new program for families who need it.
“However, the school was not set up for that,” she said.
The school building itself is compliant with American with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements and can be navigated by students with wheelchairs and other mobility aids.
The playground, however, is largely inaccessible to kids with mobility challenges.
“The school itself is flat and there is a ramp to get into the school, but the playground is on a hill. It’s grass and bark. It has retaining walls — you can’t get a wheelchair in there,” Drabner said.
In addition to being difficult to access, the playground itself is not ADA-compliant and, being over 30 years old, is starting to present some other safety and structural deficiencies.
“As a result, many of our students in the programs mentioned are unable to safely access and enjoy the equipment,” McLane Elementary School paraeducator Amy Long said in an email to the Thurston Chronicle. “These are incredible students who deserve a safe, inclusive space where they can play, learn, and grow alongside their peers.”
In an effort to replace the existing playground with one that better serves the needs of McLane’s special education students, the PTSO has launched a series of fundraising events.
The PTSO aims to raise a total of $150,000 to level the hill that the playground sits on, replace the ground covering and purchase a new ADA-compliant play structure.
Fundraisers include an online raffle, online auction, ticket sales for a June 27 Rainier’s game, and ticket sales for a July 12 Seattle Reign match.
The online raffle is open through June 7 and can be accessed at https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/mclane-elementary-ptso-raffle--2026. Items being raffled off include a trip to Hawaii, a romantic getaway to the Willamette Valley, and a Seattle Sounders club level experience.
The silent auction opened May 30 and closes June 7. It can be accessed at https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/mclane-elementary-parent-teacher-student-organizations-silent-auction. Auction items include photography sessions, massage packages, beauty boxes, hair care packages, and more.
Tickets to the June 27 Rainier’s game can be purchased at https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/rainiers-game-2. Tickets include a hotdog and a drink, with an option to add a baseball cap for $10 more.
Tickets to the July 12 Reign match can be purchased at https://www.gofevo.com/event/Mclaneelementary2. If McLane sells more than 50 tickets, everyone who bought tickets through McLane’s fundraiser can go onto the field after the game.
Donations can also be made to the McLane PTSO’s playground fund directly at https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/playground-fundraiser-2.
The construction plan for the playground will largely depend on how much money the PTSO can raise upfront, according to Drabner.
Ideally, the PTSO would wait to start construction until it raised the full $150,000 so the project could be completed in one phase over the summer.
The project could be done in phases if needed.
“However, if we do it in phases, it’ll cost more money in the long run,” Drabner said.
The PTSO is also exploring grants to cover some of the costs.
Fundraiser organizers are aiming to fund the playground replacement without relying on funds from the Olympia School District’s capital budget.
