Parents in Sacramento, California, are taking a stand against a complete artificial turf takeover at their children's elementary school.
According to CBS Sacramento, parent Lisa Mar started an online petition to protest the decision to replace grass at Crocker/Riverside Elementary School with turf. As of April 30, it had 717 signatures.
Sacramento City Unified School District — or SCUSD — noted that six other elementary schools in the district have gone to turf and, in a statement, defended it as a "safe and sustainable alternative."
Mar pushed back in the petition.
"We know that artificial surfaces are harmful to the health and safety of children through exposure to toxins, poor air quality and increased risk of heat related illness," it declares. "There is nothing 'safe or sustainable' about this project."
The petition also asserts that synthetic surfaces can host bacteria, such as Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA. It calls out the negative impact of grass turf on the local environment and wildlife during its use and its wastefulness afterward.
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For parents like Bianca Vargas, two concerns stood out most.
"Heat, I would say, is the biggest one," Vargas told CBS. "Also just the loss of connection to any natural surface."
As temperatures rise, the sun can make turf surfaces extremely hot compared to grass. Dianne Woelke, a board member for the nonprofit Safe Healthy Playing Fields, underscored that concern for children in particular.
"They don't tolerate heat stress as easily as older people can," Woelke told the outlet. "They are considered a vulnerable population."
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SCUSD countered by pointing to research from the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, which uncovered no significant risks from the turf. The Los Angeles Unified School District, meanwhile, banned synthetic turf.
For now, parents are hoping the petition and a loud presence at a SCUSD board meeting can push the district to rethink the move. A sixth-grader summed up some students' feelings succinctly.
"It would make me feel like I would want to be indoors more than outdoors, because I would know what's out there, and I just wouldn't want to go play on it," Alexa told CBS. "Children should deserve to play in a natural environment."
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