In New York’s East Ramapo Central School District, all public school buildings have been deemed unsafe by a recent survey of working conditions that found undrinkable water, pests, and hazardous equipment. And according to the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU), the New York Times, and others, the unsafe conditions are a result of “environmental racism.”
A new state-mandated survey of building conditions found that the tap water at all 13 public school buildings in the district was unsafe for drinking. Additionally, four schools had evidence of vermin, five schools had unacceptable kitchen ventilation hoods, and most of the schools had unsatisfactory ventilation and HVAC systems. The firm that completed the assessments, CSArch, estimated that it would cost more than $230 million to make all of the necessary repairs.
The NYCLU, along with 24 other organizations, wrote a letter about the situation to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and other officials, demanding that the state take over the school district. In the letter, racism is asserted as the main factor driving the poor conditions for these schools and compared the drinking water situation to that of Flint, Michigan.
“Drinking and cooking water in all school buildings are contaminated with lead, frighteningly reminiscent of the environmental racism seen in Flint, Michigan. Much like Flint, the lead in the water at East Ramapo public schools was discovered seven years ago, yet it remains unaddressed,” the letter states.
The letter continues on to condemn East Ramapo as “perhaps the most dramatic example of systemic racism in New York State’s education system” because the majority of white voters send their children to private schools, while “public school students are overwhelmingly students of color.” The organizations demanded that the state government “no longer defer to local voters to allow children to be exposed to lead, and to be denied their right to a sound basic public education.”
“We call on the state to take over the East Ramapo Central School District and to take immediate actions to remediate the lead in all school buildings before the new school year begins,” the letter said. “We cannot allow any children to learn in such deplorable, unhealthy, environmentally racist conditions. East Ramapo’s white majority rule over a community of color is more reminiscent of the Jim Crow South than what we expect in New York.”
The NYCLU is not the only group to blame the unsafe living conditions on racism. In an article about the recent survey findings, The New York Times cited a 2014 report from a state board-appointed monitor, which found that the board “appear(ed) to favor the interests of private schools over public schools.” The Times noted that the East Ramapo board had “long been dominated by Orthodox Jews” and private schools were “attended primarily by Orthodox Jewish students,” suggesting a correlation by association that the original report had not asserted.
Superintendent Dr. Clarence Ellis said in a written statement that the results of the survey revealed the need for “significant upgrades.”
“We are reviewing different financial options to make the necessary improvements quickly, especially ones that directly impact the health and safety of our students and staff,” Ellis said.
In 2016, lead was found in the water of several of the schools in that district, and water fountains and some taps were shut off at that time. Tap water is currently restricted to hand-washing and cleaning only, while students and staff may drink bottled water and water from filling stations, according to a district spokesperson.
The findings of the survey come at a time of concern about lead contamination for many New Yorkers. A recent reportby the New York City Coalition to End Lead Poisoning found that more than 900,000 NYC households could be receiving water from lead drinking water pipes.
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