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LausanneSchool playground soiled by dog excrement
A former park that has become a school playground has become a place of difficult cohabitation between young students and dog walkers.
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- Abdoulaye Penda Ndiaye
A change of assignment has taken place but habits do not seem to have changed much. apn
The place that houses the temporary school site has always been very popular with dog owners. apn
Schoolyard or dog park? It was with a joke that the elected Green Lausanne resident Eric Bettens challenged the City on the problematic cohabitation between the students of the Barre school and the canines. Since the start of the 2022 school year, portakabins have been serving as temporary classes on the former La Borde sports ground pending the end of the college’s work in 2024. However, the sector is studded with canine excrement, denounced with a single voice school authorities, teachers and parents of students.
From leash to ban
After requiring that dogs be kept on a leash in the perimeter, the City took a stricter decision: it outright banned their presence. “The measures seem to have borne fruit,” say the authorities.
However, Eric Bettens remains circumspect. “There are always crass incivilities. It is inconceivable that children and teachers are confronted with defilements, then brought back to the classroom, ”protests the elected representative who wants new measures from the City on this problem.
Children step on dog droppings and bring dirt into the changing rooms. And it causes a particularly unpleasant odor
On condition of anonymity, a college teacher describes an unsavory situation. “Regularly, children step on dog droppings and bring dirt into the changing rooms. This causes nice transfers when they change sitting on the floor. And that causes particularly unpleasant odors.”
“There are also syringes on the ground”
According to our information, a teacher who reminded a walker that dogs were prohibited on the site saw the animal pounce on her. “She had a big fright but fortunately was not bitten”, testifies a colleague. According to our information, canid keepers are changing their habits more and more and frequenting the site in the evening. “Dog droppings are nothing compared to the syringes lying around on the ground,” sighs a mother met on the spot. She deplores the presence of drug addicts around the school.
Restrictions up, parks down
Child of the district of La Barre and owner of animals, a forties deplores the situation. “We pay a dog tax as restrictions increase and the number of parks where dogs can walk freely decreases”, underlines the Lausanne resident. But the retraining nurse also resents some owners. “It’s scandalous not to pick up the droppings. In addition, these droppings can cause infections in children.
