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Parents urge district to restrict soccer permits after damage to high school baseball and softball fields
Summary
Residents and baseball program representatives told the La Canada Unified board that soccer play and non-school permits are damaging LCHS baseball and softball fields, causing injuries and forcing families to raise funds for repairs and equipment.
Parents and supporters of the La Cañada High School baseball and softball programs told the La Canada Unified Governing Board on Feb. 25 that permit use of school fields by soccer organizations is harming the school's fields and risking student injuries.
Matthew Regan, who identified himself as treasurer for the LCHS baseball foundation, showed photos comparing La Cañada fields to peer high schools and said the district's fields show wear and tear from soccer. Regan said families were asked to contribute $1,200 per player this year and that "several kids have been injured" because of poor field conditions. "We have about the most inferior baseball field that they're gonna play on this year," he said.
A parent, Deborah Belt, expanded on the concerns in a second public comment. Belt said the district is bearing "an unfair burden" of AYSO Region 13 field usage and that excluding soccer from baseball and softball fields would "decrease injury risk, reduce ongoing burden of parents to raise money to repair fields" and allow better scheduling for the high school teams. She said local youth programs include more than 800 players and noted for-profit clubs sometimes receive fee waivers for field use.
Board President Caroline Anderson briefly clarified a point raised by the commenters: the district does not require families to pay $1,200 to play; donations cited by parents are voluntary. "If parents are making donations, those are purely voluntary donations and the district cannot require anyone to make payments or donations to play any of the sports," she said.
Why it matters: Field condition affects student safety and athletic program operations. Parents said injuries and loss of home-field competitiveness are immediate concerns; they said they will press the city and parks-and-rec leaders about permit practices.
There was no formal board action on permits at the meeting. Speakers said they will attend upcoming city council and parks-and-rec meetings to press for changes and asked the district to "prioritize our 7 through 12 kids when we do the fields." The board did not schedule an agenda item responding to the request at this meeting.
