Oklahoma City Public Schools Looking Into Opening Athletic Fields To Public

Oklahoma City Public Schools is looking at opening up its athletic fields for everyone to use.

But there are some concerns, and the school board is trying to figure how to make the change.

Right now, locks are on the gates of athletic fields across the district. The district is not against making the fields available to the public, but say there's a lot to consider.

Over at Douglass High School, football training for the upcoming season is already underway.

The football stadium is ranked as one of the best in the metro area, and Oklahoma City Schools wants to keep it that way. 

“We don’t want it vandalized, and we don’t want to destroy it or anything,” said Douglass High School alum Dontae Wells.

The number one issue for the district when it comes opening up its athletic fields is liability.

“Everyone brings their own concerns to the table,” said Terri Bell with the district. “Some are saying, 'yes, let's open 24/7,' but then security says, 'Oh, but who’s security.' Principals are then saying, 'Oh, but if I’m not there, then I don’t want it to open.'”

Oklahoma City Public Schools board member Bob Hammack is open to expanding the district's athletic fields availability.

“These fields belong to the taxpayers of Oklahoma City, and there’s no reason why they can’t be available to our students at any time,” Hammack said.

Hammack is outspoken about the issue and said it's time to adopt a new attitude.

“We are in business to help kids, and kids are better served when they are on the athletic field or in a gym than when they are in a gang,” Hammack said.

But the district said opening indoor facilities comes with another set of concerns. Hammack agreed, and that’s when things get complicated.

“It gets a little more problematic when you have somebody in your gym on a weekend,” Hammack said. “But those are questions that can be resolved.”

And the hope is to come up with a solution.

“Anybody should be able to go and use the field, but we do need supervision over it,” Wells said.

There will be more discussion by the school board on this topic, but News 9 was told opening fields and gyms across the district is going to become a reality.