Turf war is over: Sacramento school will get natural grass instead of plastic
The kids at Crocker Riverside Elementary School will not have to risk burns or staph infections when playing on the lawn, thanks to parent pushback against the installation of artificial turf.
Sacramento City Unified School District announced Thursday that the field will be redesigned to include natural grass instead of artificial turf, as the district facilities department had initially planned.
The district was previously considering replacing the deteriorating field with artificial grass because of concerns about upkeep with an overcrowded school population. School officials said at the time that “if a sustainable natural grass solution were feasible, it would already be in place.”
But after parent outrage surrounding safety and environmental concerns, the district changed its tune. Facilities administrator Chris Ralston announced the shift in a message to families Thursday.
“This decision reflects the strong input from the community and aligns with the District’s commitment to environmentally responsible practices,” Ralston wrote. “It also allows us to proactively adapt now, rather than face potential changes and added costs in the future.”
He did note that the change would mean revised construction planning and a longer timeline to complete the changes. The new field will likely not be available for use until April 2027.
At a board meeting Thursday night, parent Geoff Bardot tearfully thanked the school board for helping push for the change.
“Over the past few weeks, this board did something that does not happen in every school district — you listened,” he said.
