Letter: Eternal vigilance for turf, start times

Posted 2/17/19

To the editor:

I am troubled by the inability of some members of the Barrington community to graciously move on when they do not get their way on a controversial issue. Instead, they continue to …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

Register to post events


If you'd like to post an event to our calendar, you can create a free account by clicking here.

Note that free accounts do not have access to our subscriber-only content.

Day pass subscribers

Are you a day pass subscriber who needs to log in? Click here to continue.


Letter: Eternal vigilance for turf, start times

Posted

To the editor:

I am troubled by the inability of some members of the Barrington community to graciously move on when they do not get their way on a controversial issue. Instead, they continue to push for their agenda, hoping to wear down the opposition or catch them off guard. I particularly refer to the two topics of turf fields and later start time for the high school.

When I attended my first annual town hall meeting a few years ago to support a library project, I found myself literally in the midst of a “turf” battle between those who wanted to garner funds for an artificial turf field for the high school and those who wanted the field to remain grass.  

After a debate that lasted several hours, several votes were taken—first a voice vote, then a standing vote, and finally a ballot vote. Grass ultimately won.  

I, who had no knowledge about the topic prior to the meeting, became convinced that a turf field would not only be expensive to install, but it would have to be continually maintained, with new particles needing to be added to replace those that had somehow vanished. The disappearing particles entered the debate and became particularly troublesome, as they seemed to imply a possible health hazard to players who could inadvertently inhale them. It seemed that team goalies, team catchers, etc., would be especially vulnerable. The argument that many fields at other high schools and colleges are turf fields is not very convincing. Many buildings contained asbestos and lead paint for years, but that did not make them safe. I (and the majority of those in attendance) was convinced and voted for grass. Nevertheless, the turf battle continues.

I urge parents, coaches, school administrators, and town officials to google “Is artificial turf dangerous?” on their cell phones to find out about the increased risks involving concussions, cancer, infections, heat of the playing field, and numerous other problems resulting from artificial turf. 

In a similar vein, a later start time for high school students was rejected earlier this year. While some studies suggest that a later start time would be healthier for high school students, as they could theoretically sleep later in the morning before school, this theory operates under the fallacious premise that students’ bedtimes would remain as before when, in fact, students will just go to bed later, as they will have less time after school to do the same number of activities and amount of homework and studying as before.  

In addition, later end times would adversely affect school sports programs, students’ jobs, various afterschool activities, and older students’ ability to babysit younger siblings. Moreover, this change would involve considerable extra expense for new busing arrangements.   

All of the students whom I have spoken to are against this change. Yet proponents can’t seem to let it go. I don’t see why parents who want their children to get more sleep don’t just set an earlier bedtime for them (and collect their cell phones before they go to bed).

It is said that eternal vigilance is the price of liberty. So it must also be with issues that never seem to be put to bed.  

Cindy Kaplan

Barrington

2024 by East Bay Media Group

Barrington · Bristol · East Providence · Little Compton · Portsmouth · Tiverton · Warren · Westport
Meet our staff
Jim McGaw

A lifelong Portsmouth resident, Jim graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1982 and earned a journalism degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1986. He's worked two different stints at East Bay Newspapers, for a total of 18 years with the company so far. When not running all over town bringing you the news from Portsmouth, Jim listens to lots and lots and lots of music, watches obscure silent films from the '20s and usually has three books going at once. He also loves to cook crazy New Orleans dishes for his wife of 25 years, Michelle, and their two sons, Jake and Max.