Plans to upgrade Monterey High School's football stadium has been pushed back by at least eight months, following a court's ruling. In the case of Preserving the Peace v. Monterey Peninsula Unified School District, the plaintiff, a neighborhood collective, sought to stop the project alleging violation of the California Environmental Quality Act. Now a judge has ruled mostly in favor of MPUSD but is requiring the district to conduct another environmental impact report. "It's a moving target. Every time we try to solve an issue, a new issue emerges," Superintendent PK Diffenbaugh said. The project, which has been in the works since 2019, includes four 70-ft stadium lights, a new softball field, 1,920 square foot gym, improvements to the track and field, a new press box and public address system, more bleachers and renovations to be compliant with the Americans with Disability Act. “The benefit the project will have for our students cannot be overstated,” said Monterey High School Principal Tom Newton. “Once complete, MHS soccer programs will no longer have to end practices and games due to darkness, girls’ softball will no longer have to miss class to travel through downtown to Jacks Park for practices and games, and students will have the opportunity to play in front of a home crowd instead of traveling off-campus to the Monterey Peninsula College’s lighted athletic field for football games. Planned improvements to the stadium and lower field will also help ensure compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and Title IX and, most importantly, ensure safety for student athletes.”In a statement to Action News 8, the plaintiff's attorney, Molly Erickson, said, "Sadly, the school board could have pursued a much simpler athletic project that could have been built by now—by restoring the two existing playing fields. The school board has identified $90 million of specific unmet facilities at the aging Monterey High School and my clients urge the board to focus taxpayers dollars on meeting many needs that would benefit all students.