Ramapo Central Board of Education member Dr. Marlyse Haward discusses just what topics and information will be presented to the public at the upcoming special BOE meeting set for Tuesday, March 29, at 7 p.m. at Suffern Middle School.
The Ramapo Central Schools Board of Education is set to respond to community inquiries about crumb artificial turf during a special BOE meeting.
The BOE will present expert consultants who will discuss various turf options for the district on Tuesday, March 29, at 7 p.m. in the Suffern Middle School Auditorium. Parents and members of the public are welcome to ask questions of the panel, which is set to go through a presentation on nearly all that is known about the safety of crumb turf.
“I thought we were going to continue our discussion on turf … I don’t know if it’s brief (referring to her comments), I’ve been waiting a long time to have this community forum.” — Dr. Marlyse Haward, Ramapo Central BOE member, during a March 15 regular board meeting that involved a freighted conversation related to Tuesday’s planned district turf talk meeting.
On Tuesday, 3/29, there will be a Special Meeting of the Board of Education, at SMS. See https://t.co/rdUhhSIhZK for details.
— Ramapo Central (@RCSDMounties) March 27, 2016
The BOE has been grappling with the issue since rubberized crumb turf was taken out of the equation due to the May 2015 districtwide vote that rejected the $850,000 board plan to replace Suffern Middle School athletic fields with crumb rubber turf.
The upcoming question and answer session will review possible replacement options that apparently include virgin rubber (synthetic material which is basically tire rubber that saw road use) and organic turf fill, and possibly a review of natural turf.
What athlete doesn’t like to play on grass? But grass turf may not be as durable and multi-purpose as artificial turf — think practice field for band and soccer and lacrosse and softball and football and, get it?
After last May’s defeat of the replacement proposal, board member Dr. Amany Messieha-Dgheim told The Journal News, “I think the fact that it was voted down was a clear indication that the community members are now aware of the risks that installing more of the same type of turf might involve.”
Both Dr. Dgheim and fellow BOE member Dr. Marlyse Haward have strongly advocated at school board meetings against replacing any district turf with rubber particular turf material, popularly known as crumb rubber or rubber fill.
That issue is just one that appears to have created a strain within the Ramapo Central BOE, apparent when the soft-spoken Dr. Haward addresses Superintendent Dr. Douglas Adams on the issue (see the video segment on the topic above).
There is widespread debate in wider national and international athletic circles about artificial turf and how it may contribute to leg and knee injuries and health problems, especially among high school athletes.
There’s also an on-going debate about the cost of grass turf vs. artificial turf, including installation and maintenance costs. Many studies, outside the field turf industry, posit that there is a maintenance myth associated with field turf vs. natural grass.
