A handful of Roanoke elementary schools could find themselves temporarily without playground equipment when school starts Sept. 2.

Antiquated playgrounds at Forest Park, Morningside, Lincoln Terrace, Garden City, Fishburn, Raleigh Court and Round Hill Primary elementary schools could be removed because they do not meet standards recommended by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Under an agreement being considered by the city and the school system, the Roanoke Parks and Recreation Department would remove the seven playgrounds and install four new ones in their place. It's unclear where the four new playgrounds would go.

Because Forest Park is being reconfigured as an alternative middle and high school, it's unlikely to get a new playground. Lincoln Terrace, Fishburn and Raleigh Court have two playgrounds, which means that students there still would have a place to play if the old playgrounds are removed.

"The important thing from my point of view is getting everything unsafe out now," Superintendent Rita Bishop said.

But Roanoke Parks and Recreation Director Steve Buschor stressed that the playgrounds that could be removed are not unsafe, just old.

"Some of them have been around for a long, long time," he said. "Some of them may have been built when the buildings were built."

In Virginia, 452 playground injuries that required hospitalization were reported to the state Department of Health from 2002 to 2006. Fourteen of those were from Roanoke and Roanoke County, according to the department.

Under the agreement, the city would take over maintenance of the school system's playground equipment. The school system would pay the city almost $370,000 to buy and maintain the equipment. The School Board approved the agreement Tuesday.

The agreement would be part of an ongoing effort between the city and the school system. Last year, Parks and Recreation staff inspected the school system's playgrounds, looking at possible dangers such as worn hooks, places where a child's head could be trapped or weakened chains.