We did it! An announcement was made today that the district will install natural grass at Crocker!! 

I want to thank you all for caring and for having the courage to speak out and sign this petition.

We have proven that when we come together as a community, we can move mountains.

Stay vigilant and stay loud! Let's not let this happen at any other schools across Sacramento and beyond. 

I will continue to push for wood chips instead of PIP rubber, that issue hasn't been decided yet.

But this is a huge victory! Thank you all for your part in making this happen! 

https://grass4crocker.com/

Governor Newsom's press release on Green Schoolyards also acknowledges the benefits of green spaces and nature on children's physical and mental health as well as reducing exposure to extreme heat. Together we can all move in the right direction! 

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. 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 cities and schools across the country! 

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. A 'site specific' reason to not have artificial turf is the fact that the field is surrounded on three sides by fences and rows of houses which limits air flow and worsens the heat island effect. 

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.