Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

How frightening to think that we would even consider endangering our kids with plastic fields causing cancer. The evidence is mounting that there are more and more documented concerns around this issue. We agree with the planning board as well as members of the board of health of our town. The planning board has voted down the plastic field, so that ends it for MVRHS who is a guest in our town. Our town is bigger than the school and our board has said no to the fields, so it’s back to cutting the grass and getting the fields ready for our kids. Our board of health has suggested a moratorium on putting plastics into our ground water. The town has said no, it has said wait, give it more time. Yet the audacity and the arrogance of the school committee who is now asking oak Bluffs residents to pay for both sides of a legal challenge. Hiring a lawyer who will make a lot of money — money that could be used properly and rightly for our teachers.

I’m ashamed of the school committee on both these issues: the turf war and paying teachers a fair, sustainable wage. We can pay an attorney to fight an arrogant, costly, fight but we can’t use that money for our teachers?

Are we really concerned about the kids and the fields? Are we really concerned about our teachers and all that they do for our kids? Or is this issue really about power and money, not safety.

Support our teachers first so that our kids — our students — can continue to flourish in our school system. Our eight kids and grandkids thank you, our teachers, for all that you do. We support you.

Marge and Jamie Harris

Oak Bluffs