Mayor & Chancellor Asked To Move On Healthy Schools
by Assemblyman Steven Sanders

The State Assembly over the past several years, working with the Healthy Schools Network of New York State, has initiated important measures to keep children safe in school. In the area of violence prevention and physical security, New York State has made great strides. But children’s health and well-being, of course, requires not only that a school building and grounds be safe and secure from the standpoint of crime, violence or drugs, but also from the vantage point of making sure that schools themselves are environmentally safe, from the materials used in construction to the cleaning agents used by janitors; from hazardous substances in soil and from contaminants in ventilation or air conditioning systems.

I am proud as Chairman of the Education Committee to have advanced from my committee and shepherded passage on the floor of the Assembly crucial pieces of legislation to keep school environments healthy, so that our children (and staff and visitors) do not fall ill from chemicals or materials that are known to cause unpleasant symptoms or even put people’s health in serious jeopardy. We have also passed bills requiring that parents be informed of environmental hazards or threats at or near the school. Regrettably, these bills remain stalled, time and again, in the State Senate.

Here in New York City, though, with the Legislature having given to the Mayor and the Chancellor direct control over the schools—including the right to centralize purchasing—we have a perfect opportunity for the City to unilaterally develop and implement guidelines and policies to make our schools “healthy schools.” The Chancellor need not wait for a State law compelling such actions.

Late last month, students at PS 124 in Queens fell ill from ammonia vapors apparently when ammonia either spilled or interacted with other chemical cleaning agents. While it appears that the children quickly recovered, this is yet another warning sign of the dangers—to children especially—of chemical-based products for which there are readily available non-toxic and equally effective alternatives. Moreover, the long-term exposure of children to even low-level toxins is still unknown and worrisome.

Accordingly, I have asked Chancellor Klein, in consultation with the Commissioners of Health and Environmental Protection, to promulgate clear guidelines and specifications, including a list of environmentally preferred products, to ensure that no toxic cleaning agents are used at anytime in any of our 1200 public schools.These regulations should apply and be reflected in every contract with private janitorial services providers as well as to Department of Education employees.

In addition, I have proposed that the Department of Education and the School Construction Authority also implement a policy to ensure that only environmentally safe products and construction materials are used either in the construction, repair or maintenance of school buildings.

If we are to truly put “Children First,” then preventing respiratory problems, headaches, allergic reactions, nausea, asthma attacks, and other incidents involving illness or even risk of fatalities, must be our top priority. For children to succeed, to concentrate and to achieve their full potential, an environmentally safe school is no less important than a drug-free and violence-free school.#

Assemblyman Sanders is Chairman of the Education Committee. You can e-mail him at sanders@assembly.state.ny.us or phone him at (212) 979-9696. His mailing address is 201 East 16th Street, New York, NY 10003.

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