Please sign this petition if you are concerned with SCUSD's decision to replace the grass field with artificial turf and install rubber surfaces for the playgrounds. We have successfully postponed a vote for this project until parents, guardians, and community members can be heard. Please attend the meeting on April 21st in the school auditorium at 5:30 pm. We need to pack the room with our supporters so we can show board members and school officials that we want grass and trees for the school yard!

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. They harbor bacteria, including MRSA, increasing the risk of infections from simple cuts and abrasions.  They are harmful to the environment and local wildlife and create huge amounts of waste at the end of their lifecycle. There is nothing 'safe or sustainable' about this project. 

Some parents at our school are understandably concerned about the condition of the current grass field, how some kids are getting injured because of uneven surfaces and the feeling that the district has been unable to maintain it properly over the years. If that's the case, then how can we be sure they can maintain an artificial turf field? Regular maintenance, cleaning and clearing debris to limit bacteria and mold growth, replenishment of infill, inspection for excess wear and tear, and periodic impact testing needs to be performed to maintain safety and shock absorption capacity. On top of that, they chose FieldTurf as the supplier, a company that has faced multiple lawsuits for selling defective products to municipalities and schools across many states! 

School officials say the campus is too small for the number of students and that this is a 'site specific' need. If the grass is worn from overuse, won't the artificial turf be as well? Except that repairs and replacement will be magnitudes higher than fixing a patch of grass. 

Cutting down 3 existing trees and installing a metal shade structure is also part of the plan! Isn't it bad enough that kids are glued to their devices and immersed in a digital world with AI created content? Do we really want to remove every last bit of nature from their school environment? Is this what they mean by ‘campus modernization’? If so, I want to go old school! 

The Baseball Backstop is also being removed!! What? Little League Parents get Mad! This is reason enough to sign!

The beloved Fall Carnival is going to look and feel a lot different without real grass and forget about hay bales for the pumpkin patch. That would be a nightmare to clean off of fake turf. Any organic matter on turf invites bacteria, mold and weed growth. 

Please sign if you prefer NATURAL materials for schoolyards, like real grass fields, trees and wood chips for playgrounds. 

Please sign if you want to Protect the Health and Safety of our school children! 

Notably, last November, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) voted unanimously to BAN artificial turf for their elementary and middle schools. We can also do better for our schools in Sacramento! 

Even the School District itself knows the dangerous consequences of this project! Here is an excerpt from SCUSD's own website:  "Most of our schoolyards were built decades ago when the model was an unshaded blacktop next to an open, unshaded field. This design greatly increases the ambient temperature in these areas, known as the heat island effect, which impacts students’ health, well-being, and enjoyment outdoors."

Therefore, by signing this petition, you will encourage SCUSD to affirm its own pledge to mitigate their impact on the environment and protect children from extreme heat.