Dozens of Green Hills Elementary families and staff told the Eureka Union School District Board of Trustees on public comment night that a new morning “walk and talk” routine is harming — or helping — students, but the board did not take action at the meeting. Parents, teachers and the school’s parent–teacher club both urged the district to either restore morning playground access or support the site-led change, depending on their view.

The debate centers on a teacher-led change this year that asks students to spend the drop-off period walking and talking in a supervised loop rather than using the playground. Proponents said staff implemented the routine to reduce crowded playground chaos for mixed ages and to improve classroom readiness; opponents called it developmentally inappropriate and a safety risk.

Why it matters: commenters said the change affects hundreds of families and children’s daily experience, and some parents reported they had considered unenrolling their children over the change. Speakers asked the board to clarify the district’s role in site-based decisions and to require better communication to families.

Parents and staff framing the change differently: Ashley Jimenez, a parent, told the board she “have[s] a 4 year old and 6 year old girls at Greenhouse” and raised security concerns about fencing and gates and requested “a full time permanent position for an on duty resource staff member, such as a law enforcement employee or retired staff.”

Several parents urged restoring morning playground access. Nicole Boyce said the district had removed “225 hours of learning opportunities” for after‑care students and argued unstructured play builds “communication, negotiation, cooperation, sharing, stress management, problem solving, accountability, and self control.” A child who spoke, Vienna, said, “I would like to change walk and talk back to morning recess on the playground at Greenhouse. I think kids should be able to play in the morning instead of walking in circles.”

Teachers and the Green Hills PTC defended the change as staff-led and optional. Michelle Loban, who identified herself as both a Green Hills parent and teacher, said the walk-and-talk was “a teacher led idea revolving around safety and the teachers are seeing hugely positive effects in their classrooms” and that the site still meets state minimum play minutes. Larissa Perryman, speaking for the Green Hills PTC, said the PTA supports staff and described prior site efforts such as “Wiggle Wednesday” to manage recess needs.

Several speakers asked the district to provide clearer communication and to explain site authority. Stephanie Petrocovitz and others described research favoring unstructured play, asked why the district limited grass and running at recess, and warned that a small pilot could expand to reduce play elsewhere if not monitored.

No board action: the board did not vote on or direct a change to Green Hills’ routine during the meeting. Trustees listened during the public‑comment period and acknowledged the comments but stated Brown Act limits on replying to items not on the agenda.

What’s next: parents asked the board and the superintendent to facilitate clearer site‑to‑family explanations of the walk‑and‑talk policy, to explain safety mitigations (fencing, staffing) and to consider parent input on whether the routine should continue or be modified. The board did not schedule a decision at this meeting.