The Abridged version:<\/p>\n
Parents at Sacramento\u2019s Crocker Riverside Elementary School say the planned installation of artificial turf on the campus playing field could harm children. Heat and chemical exposure are chief among their health concerns.<\/p>\n
The school, located in Sacramento\u2019s Land Park neighborhood, would be one of seven elementary schools with artificial turf in Sacramento City Unified, according to a district spokesperson.<\/p>\n
New research on artificial turf has determined there are no significant risks, yet doctors remain reluctant to endorse its use. <\/p>\n
Plans to install artificial turf on Crocker Riverside Elementary School\u2019s playing field have stirred sharp objections from parents, worried about effects like heat and chemical exposure.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhoever drew this up is not kid friendly,\u201d said Linda Mar, whose son is in sixth grade at Crocker Riverside, located in Sacramento\u2019s Land Park neighborhood.<\/p>\n
Sacramento City Unified, the district overseeing the facilities project, prioritizes student safety first and foremost, spokesperson Al Goldberg said in a statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur goal is to create a space that is consistently safe and accessible for students,\u201d Goldberg said. \u201cNo option is perfect, but we believe this approach offers the most reliable, safe, and long-term benefit for students.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Construction is anticipated to occur from early May through August, according to documents on the district website. It would be finished just in time for the 2026-27 school year.<\/p>\n
Along with the synthetic playing field, Crocker Riverside Elementary is slated to receive new hardcourts, additional playground equipment and a new shade structure.<\/p>\n
\u2018Nobody\u2019s going to want to play on it\u2019<\/p>\n
Renovations at Crocker Riverside are long overdue, according to Jessica Tudor Elliott. She is in full support of more shade and a better playground at the school where her son attends third grade and her daughter will start kindergarten next fall.<\/p>\n
But the addition of artificial turf, Tudor Elliott said, would be more harm than help.<\/p>\n
\u201cI fail to see how it\u2019s going to compare to living, breathing grass,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Among her reasons for objecting is the fact that faux fields tend to have higher surface temperatures than natural grass areas.<\/p>\n
Artificial turf can raise the risk of burns, dehydration and heat illness, according to the Children\u2019s Environmental Health Center<\/a> at Mount Sinai\u2019s medical school in New York.<\/p>\n