Duty of Care for Athletic Fields
We regularly follow Dr. Frank Rossi’s work through the Cornell turf grass Program including the Turf Show Podcast and the ShortCUTT newsletter, both excellent resources for science-based turf management.
In May, Dr. Frank Rossi and Carl Schimenti released a podcast on what duty of care means on athletic fields especially those in a community setting, such as a K – 12 School environment: Cornell SIP – Duty of Care for school athletic fields: Cornell Turf Show
Duty of Care: Five Core Practices
✓ Mow
✓ Seed
✓ Feed
✓ Relieve
✓ Rest
While I encourage all of you to view their YouTube through the link above, I know some of you may not find the time, so I would like to highlight a couple of important takeaways.
What Does Duty of Care Mean for School Athletic Fields?
Duty of Care is a legal obligation on an individual or organization requiring that they adhere to a standard of reasonable care while performing any acts that could feasibly harm others. It is the first element that must be established to proceed with an action in negligence.
Athletic field managers have a responsibility to provide the safest practical playing surface possible. Proper maintenance protects athletes first; while also helping schools and municipalities demonstrate they exercised reasonable care if an injury were ever questioned. So, it is not a stretch to imagine that after a student athlete suffers an injury on the field, a community member files a lawsuit against the city or town. Then a wide net is thrown in an effort to point the blame at someone or some organization. In this hypothetical case, it would not be a stretch to imagine the grounds crew/supervisor or landscape contractor having to sit for a deposition, or be called into court to testify as to the duty of care that was being followed for the maintenance of the field.
The Five Core Practices for Athletic Field Duty of Care
So, what might constitute a reasonable baseline for the K – 12 athletic field? Dr. Rossi and Carl Schimenti describe these practices as the baseline for meeting one’s duty of care for community athletic fields:
The Core = Your Duty of Care
MOW – At least two (2) times per week in season
SEED – Overseed bare & high traffic areas at least once per month in season, (March, April, May, June, August, September, and October) seven (7) times
FEED – Fertilize at least twice per year
RELIEVE – Aerate heavy traffic or compacted area at least once per year
REST – Plan at least one rest period of 4 – 6 weeks to allow recovery
Why These Maintenance Practices Matter
Together, these practices reduce surface hardness, improve turf density, minimize trip hazards, and promote recovery from the heavy wear common on school athletic fields.
Document Your Athletic Field Maintenance
Just as important as performing the work is documenting that it was completed. Maintenance logs, fertilizer records, aeration dates, and overseeding schedules can all help demonstrate that a consistent maintenance program was followed.
Making Duty of Care a Maintenance Priority
Certainly, there is always more that can be done, but look to the above as the minimum to meet your duty of care as the landscape professional caring for community level athletic fields. Whether you’re responsible for one municipal soccer field or an entire school campus, understanding your duty of care is an important part of protecting athletes and demonstrating sound stewardship of public facilities. I encourage you to take the time to watch Dr. Rossi and Carl Schimenti’s discussion—it is well worth your time.In my experience, these practices are often where maintenance programs begin to fall short—not because people don’t care, but because budgets, staffing, and field usage often exceed available resources.