A state recycled-tire grant replaced the mulch on Ocee Elementary's special-needs playground with a rubber surface. Ocee is one of four Fulton schools to get one.

Students at Ocee Elementary School in Johns Creek have a new rubber surface on their special-needs playground. It replaces the mulch, which can be hard to cross in a wheelchair or with a walker.

Fulton County Schools announced the work Tuesday in a district news release. The surface is made from recycled tires. A Tire Products Grant from the Georgia Environmental Protection Division paid for it.

“Our students are loving it,” Ocee Principal LaTosha Gray said in the release. “The new cushioned surface provides an added layer of protection.”

Which schools got the new surface

The district said a 2026 grant paid for new surfaces at four elementary schools:

  • Ocee Elementary in Johns Creek
  • Asa G. Hilliard Elementary in East Point
  • Heritage Elementary in College Park
  • Woodland Elementary in Sandy Springs

All four run the district’s specialized autism and adapted learning programs, according to the release. An earlier grant paid for the same work at Campbell Elementary in Fairburn, which held a ribbon-cutting in August 2024.

Ocee is the only one of the five in Johns Creek. Woodland, in Sandy Springs, is the nearest of the others, about nine miles southwest.

Where the money comes from

The Tire Products Grant is run by the state’s Environmental Protection Division. Its program page says it pays for projects that use products made from scrap tires in place of new materials. Poured playgrounds are one of the listed uses.

Under the program’s current rules:

  • a government body or public agency can apply for up to $250,000
  • no local match is required for tire-product projects
  • the grant pays only for the tire-derived material and related services, such as hauling

The district’s release does not say what the Ocee surface cost. The state’s award list for its fiscal 2025 cycle includes Fulton County Schools for “rubberized playground surfacing.” It was one of 11 grantees that shared $1,727,558.

What it means for you

If your child uses a wheelchair, walker or other mobility aid and attends Ocee, the special-needs playground should now be easier to reach and use. The front office is 470-254-2960.

Our Ocee Elementary School page has the school’s zone, feeder schools, hours and state report card score. Every school in the city is on our Johns Creek public schools page.