Just how safe is artificial turf? That question is a hot topic, with the U.S. women’s soccer team refusing to play on plastic grass, NBC doing a special report on the potential health risks of fake turf and even the Feds looking into the matter.
But municipalities and grass roots groups can find it very difficult to get answers.
For months, an advocacy group (Safe Healthy Fields) has been asking Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) in Maryland via Public Information Act requests to release the maintenance logs and G-MAX testing (the shock-attenuation performance of sports surfaces–including synthetic and natural turf athletic fields) for their artificial turf fields. But MCPS has said it has no such records and such records are maintained by the field installers (Athletic Field Consultants and FieldTurf)....
This is what the parents want. They are fine with this. As long as their child can play for more hours, that's what they want.
ReplyDeleteDo you have concrete data to support your conjecture?
DeleteDo you have anything - anything at all- that says MCPS parents care about the safety of their student athletes?
DeleteG-Max testing is required on artificial turf fields. The NFL has very strict standards for safety, even Fairfax County has standards. MCPS has nothing and parents don't say a word about this extremely important issue.
Where do you see any - any at all - MCPS parents that care about the safety of artificial turf?
Has every MCPS parent being given the opportunity to fill out a survey?
DeleteYes. Every school does a school survey.
DeleteBut you need a survey to care about the safety of your child? That's a problem. In other jurisdictions, like Howard County and Baltimore County, parents just advocate when their children are at risk. They do not wait around to be asked if there are dangers.
And did the parents unequivocally declared "Don't Care?"
DeleteI posted the original post that this is what the parents want. Yes, I have concrete data. Review the public hearings on all the artificial turf fields that have been installed throughout the county. Listen to the parents begging for artificial turf fields. Keep listening. I have myself never heard one parent opposed to their children playing on these dangerous fields in public testimony. Personally, I have been yelled at by parents when I bring up the facts against these dangerous fields. My conclusion, this is what the parents want.
DeleteHere's another type of survey: the vote at the ballot box. All the Board of Ed members and most recently all the County Council members vote for these fields. Unanimous votes. These are almost all people who are incumbents who are re-elected repeatedly. There's your survey for you.
Delete@9:47 - What was that? That was a pin dropping. Not a peep from MCPS parents. The WJHS field is not suitable for play - today. Are kids on it?
DeleteHow about Blair? Did you see the pictures we posted of the players in uniforms playing on a day when practice was to have been suspended for the heat index? Did the parents say a word?
@9:47 The RM field was put in at the same time, with the same defective turf.
DeleteThere was another pin drop. The warranty on these fields is almost up and MCPS has not demanded that the fields be replaced. Parents???? Are all good with their kids playing on this dangerous surface. If they weren't they would have protested by now. This is not news.
@9:47 We documented that the WJ field was defective over 2 years ago.
DeleteWe broke the story that Field Turf was suing their supplier for defective turf.
We documented that the WJ field was made with the defective turf.
Defective turf breaks off and can not hold the depth of crumb rubber required to keep players safe.
And...zip from the Council, BOE or parents. They have all been notified about this, are aware the field is disintegrating, and have continued to allow students to play on the field.
http://parentscoalitionmc.blogspot.com/2014/06/why-is-walter-johnson-hs-artificial.html
Pin drop.
You just described the six phases of a project: http://www.davar.net/HUMOR/JOKES/6-PHASES.HTM
DeleteNo pin drop in Fairfax County. As referenced in the Forbes article, Fairfax has an acceptable range for artificial turf fields. WJ fails the Fairfax test.
DeleteI'm a parent and I am not allowing my daughter to play soccer on artificial turf fields.
ReplyDelete