Via SMMUSD. The Board Action referenced in the piece was taken before last week’s article on the disagreement between SMMUSD staff and Coastal Commission staff on the turf surface at the Ocean Park School House.
The Santa Monica–Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) staff provided the Board of Education with an update on playground surfacing projects across its schools, reaffirming the District’s commitment to providing safe, accessible and usable outdoor spaces for students.
At its July 16, 2026 meeting, the Board of Education directed staff to continue the District’s current approach to playground surfacing while developing a comprehensive inventory of surfacing across all school sites. Staff will return to the Board with updates on synthetic turf and rubber surfacing locations, projects in design, and findings from the District’s ongoing surfacing study.
Protective surfacing under and around play structures must meet national fall-protection safety standards and is required by law. Natural grass and soil are not rated for fall protection and cannot be used beneath play equipment. Where SMMUSD uses synthetic or rubberized surfacing, it is to meet those safety requirements or to support areas where natural grass cannot be sustainably maintained, including high-traffic areas, slopes and locations with limited sunlight.
“Everyone in the District, including our Board, would prefer more grass and natural products, and we use it wherever it can be sustained,” said Carey Upton, Chief Operations Officer. “But our responsibility is to provide safe, usable spaces where students can learn and play every day. Under play structures, fall protection is required, and grass cannot provide that level of protection.”
The District emphasized that maintaining accessible and reliable play areas supports student health, physical activity and learning. Outdoor spaces are an important part of the instructional environment, and closures due to unsafe or unusable surfaces can limit opportunities for students to engage in daily physical activity.
SMMUSD is also conducting a yearlong study to gather local data on playground surfaces, including surface temperature. At its June 18, 2026 meeting, the Board of Education directed staff to evaluate elementary grass and synthetic turf surfaces during the 2026–27 school year. The study will examine multiple factors and help inform future decisions about outdoor spaces across the District.
The District has also provided the Board and community with an independent analysis from NV5, a third-party environmental firm, reviewing current research and conditions specific to Santa Monica.
SMMUSD recognizes the environmental and health concerns raised by community members and continues to incorporate those considerations into its evaluation of playground surfaces. All protective surfacing installed by the District is certified to national impact-attenuation standards (ASTM F1292), which are designed to reduce the risk of serious injury from falls, and meets applicable accessibility requirements.
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