Navigating Policy Hurdles for Statewide Schoolyard Forests

This article is the fourth in a series of six that highlight the Policy Clinic projects completed by EPM masters students in collaboration with our partners. We'd like to give a special thanks to Alejandra Chiesa from Green Schoolyards America and Julia Gowin from CAL FIRE for partnering with us on this project. 

In California, countless schoolchildren experience a glaring lack of green spaces (Chiesa and Danks, 2023). More than two million acres of school grounds lack sufficient tree cover to protect students from extreme heat islands, and dangerous hotspots within cities, that hit low-income and minority neighborhoods the hardest (Chiesa and Danks, 2023). Green schoolyards present a host of advantages, ranging from facilitating hands-on environmental education for students to fostering mental wellness through accessible outdoor recreation areas (Green Schoolyards America, n.d.). Through our project, we aimed to provide a better educational and ecological space for students, and champion equity and inclusion by researching the barriers that prevent green schoolyards from being commonplace.

For our project, we comprehensively explored barriers hindering the widespread implementation of green schoolyard initiatives across California, compiling all of them together for the first time. Led by Green Schoolyards America and in collaboration with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), our endeavor sought to assist in the greater movement to transform school grounds into healthier, more sustainable spaces conducive to learning.

Our methodology combined policy research with stakeholder interviews. We identified barriers at various levels of governance, categorizing them as Addressable, Ambitious, and Improbable. From tackling maintenance and labor shortages to navigating the complexities of accessing grant funding and complying with regulatory requirements set by the District of State Architects (DSA), our research illuminated the multifaceted obstacles to implementing green schoolyards.

Addressable barriers encompassed challenges such as maintenance shortages and onerous and complex CAL FIRE grant application processes. The application requirements and absence of a published rubric for the CAL FIRE grant application create signficant hurdles for the applicants. By proposing solutions such as involving maintenance staff in the planning process and advocating for improving public grant application process and criteria, we aimed to lay the groundwork for future research and action on these fronts.

Improbable barriers, including compliance with the DSA and financial constraints, showcase many of the systemic barriers that are deeply embedded in education planning. While these barriers may be unlikely to change, raising awareness of them and cataloging them is essential for informed decision-making and resource allocation in future advocacy efforts. Unlikely barriers may not be changed, but they can be avoided to some extent through foreknowledge and careful planning.

One particularly rewarding aspect of our project was the opportunity to amplify the voices of underserved communities and integrate their perspectives into our report. Through engagement with school district officials, nonprofit leaders, and community members, we gained valuable insights into how these barriers manifest in real-world scenarios. Nathaniel Browning, Facilities Director with the Sacramento City School District, in particular, provided invaluable examples of how fostering a close relationship with the maintenance department to get their buy-in is critical to solve the maintenance issues, and ensure the success of schoolyard forest projects. 

Our project represents the first concerted effort to catalog the numerous barriers hindering the implementation of green schoolyards in California. By identifying these barriers, proposing potential solutions, and advocating for equity, we aim to contribute to the movement toward creating healthier, more sustainable learning environments for future generations of Californians.

Sources

Chiesa, A., & Danks, S. (2023, April 14). Taking Schoolyard Forests to Scale: Research Summary and Recommendations. Green Schoolyards America.

Green Schoolyards America. (n.d.). Retrieved June 18, 2024, from https://www.greenschoolyards.org/.