Last week, the MCPS school board advanced Superintendent Thomas Taylor’s nearly $3 billion plan to fix up campuses as part of the Capital Improvements Program.

The plan is not finalized — the county executive and County Council need to sign off on the dollar figure — but if it moves forward as written, over $72 million will be allocated for outdoor play space and athletic infrastructure, with the bulk of those funds going toward installing and maintaining turf fields.

Currently, 12 high schools, one middle school and one elementary school have turf fields. Under this plan, nearly all of the county’s remaining 15 high schools could have a turf field installed by 2032.

The plan sparked debate at school board meetings over the cost, safety and environmental concerns. Others believe that the money should be used for more pressing matters first. Laura Stewart, a member of the Board of Education, said that the focus should be on improving conditions inside schools, including their HVAC systems.

“For this particular cycle, I need to work on air quality because every kid needs to be in the classroom,” Stewart said.

Advocates for turf fields argue that they are cheaper in the long run and can get more use than traditional grass fields.

So how might adding more turf fields impact the county? We compiled the answers to some frequently asked questions.

Are turf fields cheaper than grass fields?

Yes and no. Installation of a synthetic turf field costs about $2.5 million, compared to $634,000 for natural grass, according to MCPS. Some are more expensive — a proposed field at Poolesville High School would cost more than $3.6 million because of drainage issues.

However, turf fields require only $120,000 of maintenance over a 10-year period, while natural grass totals $1 million.

Turf fields can be used more often because they are not weather-dependent and don’t require as much maintenance. As a result, the average cost per hour —the district’s preferred method of calculation — over 10 years is only $5.72, compared to $23.73 for grass fields.

Turf fields do have an expiration point. They need to be replaced every eight to 12 years, depending on use. A turf replacement costs $1 million, according to MCPS.

Will adding more turf fields give more kids access to athletic fields?

Yes. Grass fields require more maintenance and time to recover from major weather events than turf fields, meaning they are available for far fewer hours.

According to an MCPS presentation, turf fields are used for an average of 4.7 hours a day for physical education classes and 15,180 hours per year for athletics. Grass fields are not available for physical education classes and are used for just 6,624 hours per year for athletics.

Jeffrey Sullivan, the MCPS Athletic Director, said during his testimony at a school board meeting earlier this month that schools with grass fields often ask schools with turf fields to move games or practices to their facility after major weather events. At schools with turf fields, he said, they can have multiple practices and games on the same day without worrying about the field condition. They can’t do that at schools with grass fields.

Are turf fields safe?

According to a report by the Office of Legislative Oversight, almost all studies show that the type of playing field cannot be solely responsible for injuries. Other factors, including maintenance of the field, weather conditions, level of competition and type of shoe are far more likely to cause injury than the type of field itself.

“Whether it’s grass or artificial surface, the schools and everyone has to partake in upkeep and making sure the field stays in tip-top shape,” said AJ Duffy, the president of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association. “I think it’s those external forces outside of the field that will go a long way to help minimize risk.”

This didn’t use to be the case. Seventy-five percent of studies showed that older generations of turf fields carried a higher risk of injury on turf compared to natural grass, according to a report from the Office of Legislative Oversight. However, in 18 studies on newer models — which is what MCPS would be installing — 72% found no difference in injury risk.

It will always come down to maintenance, Duffy said. If a grass field is maintained correctly and not overused, then it is his preferred option for his athletes. However, he added, that’s not practical at schools, so turf is better.

“There’s nothing like the beauty of a grass field,” Duffy said. “If you have a multi-use facility, if there’s a lot of stuff going on, I think that turf is ideal.”

Can you play on turf fields in the heat?

No. The surface level of a turf field can be up to 30 to 70 degrees hotter than the air temperature, according to the Office of Legislative Oversight report. However, MCPS does not have any sports that are played in the summer, which mitigates part of the problem.

MCPS has heat restrictions in place to protect students. If the temperature exceeds 90 degrees, coaches can only hold practices on turf fields before noon or after 5 p.m. There are also required water breaks.

Are turf fields bad for the environment?

Advocates for grass fields say yes. Older turf fields are composed of crumb rubber made from tires that can be inhaled and ingested by athletes, said Diana Conway, the president of Safe Healthy Playing Fields, a Montgomery County nonprofit. These chemicals have been known to cause certain cancers. They also release microplastics as they break down, which can get into waterways, Conway said.

While these fields can technically be recycled, the infrastructure is not in place to do so, Conway said.

Re-Match, a Denmark-based company, was supposed to create the first turf field recycling center in the United States. However, the company filed for bankruptcy in 2024 before beginning operations. The more than 11,000 tons of turf rolls that were transported to Pennsylvania for recycling are now decaying.

In 2018, Richard Montgomery’s turf field was replaced. Part of it was reused at a paintball facility in White Marsh. What could not be reused was dumped next to Bird River, where the forever chemicals can break down and get into the water stream, the Climate Coalition Montgomery County reported.

New turf fields are organic and made of plant-based infills. These are better for the environment than older versions, Conway said, but still contain chemicals that can get into water systems, and the recycling options are also limited.

In a statement to The Banner, MCPS said that there are some environmental advantages of turf because they do not use pesticides to control weeds and pests, as they do with natural grass. Turf fields also require significantly less water.

“We adhere to the county and the state of Maryland’s rigorous standards and protocols to ensure the materials used are tested and deemed safe,” the statement said. “Field installations include engineering and drainage systems specifically designed to manage stormwater and minimize the possibility of sediment or material runoff entering local waterways. These systems are reviewed and approved by relevant county and state environmental agencies.”