[CPEO-BIF] Bronx New School public meeting

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

[While New York school officials should have responded more quickly  
this year to the discovery of TCE vapors in the Bronx New School, the  
bigger problem is that students and staff may have been exposed to  
these contaminants for the life of the school. - LS]


Amid P.S. 51 toxin concerns, city to speed environmental testing

By Rachel Cromidas
Gotham Schools (NY)
August 18, 2011

Admitting that they had responded too slowly to news of toxic  
chemicals at a Bronx elementary school, Department of Education  
officials said the city would accelerate environmental testing of  
leased school sites.

At a public meeting tonight for people who attended or worked at P.S.  
51, which was shuttered two weeks ago over concerns about toxic  
chemicals detected there, Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott announced  
that the city would complete reviews of 31 sites where leases are up  
for renewal by the beginning of September.

The announcement comes after mounting criticism of the way the  
department’s has dealt with toxic chemicals in schools, especially  
PCBs found in older light fixtures. A nonprofit law firm, New York  
Lawyers for the Public Interest, announced yesterday it planned to  
sue the DOE [2] over the fixtures on behalf of New York Community for  
Change, a parent organization.

Hundreds of anxious P.S. 51 parents and students, past and present,  
came to the Bronx High School of Science tonight to learn more about  
safety concerns at the school.

...

For the entire article, see
http://gothamschools.org/2011/08/18/amid-p-s-51-toxin-concerns-city- 
to-speed-environmental-testing/

--

Lenny Siegel
Executive Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
a project of the Pacific Studies Center
278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org

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