Brooklyn Safety BROOKLYN-USA.ORG
City tackles hazardous lead paint crisis ahead of fi rst day of school
The city Department of Education
(DOE) hopes to put controversy behind
them with the announcement
that major lead paint remediation has
been completed ahead of the fi rst day
of school.
Embattled Schools Chancellor Richard
Carranza announced on Wednesday,
September 4th, that all classrooms
serving 3-K, Pre-K, kindergarten and
fi rst grade students are now in good
standing as children headed back to
class for the fall session.
The DOE made a sweep of about
8,438 classrooms to ensure there was
no lead hazard on top of the 1,860
known to have contamination, the
agency said.
“Our schools are safe and this summer
we’ve successfully remediated
all impacted classrooms in time for
the fi rst day,” Carranza said. “We’re
looking forward to a successful start
of the year.”
An investigation by the department
followed another from WNYC/
Gothamist which found lead in four
schools, as well as dust with lead levels
up to 100 times greater than the
city standard.
In early August, the DOE released
data from an investigation that
10 ONE BROOKLYN | FALL 2019
showed over 900 classrooms across
the city were coated with lead paint.
If the department’s claims are true,
remediations took just over a month.
Lead paint was banned in 1960 in
the city, but the DOE plans to continue
their its investigation into any rooms
built or painted as early as 1985, according
to the agency.
“The SCA will continue to work corroboratively
with the DOE to inspect
and remediate classrooms and other
common spaces to ensure we are providing
a safe and comfortable learning
environment,” School Construction
Authority President Lorraine Grillo
said. “This is a task that we do not take
lightly and is part of our unwavering
commitment to improve the school
buildings and facilities that the city’s
children need and deserve.”
With children under six being the
most susceptible to lead poisoning,
which can affect the central nervous
system and neurological function, classrooms
serving children under 6 took
priority.
The DOE plans to expand inspections
to rooms for fi rst-graders and has
set up an online database for the public
to learn about known health risks.
The agency has also set up a portal
where possible hazards in schools
can be reported.
At the start of the 2020-21 school
year, the DOE plans to begin remediation
of not only classrooms, but of cafeterias
and libraries used by at-risk
groups of students.
Meanwhile, custodians are expected
to carry out their usual tasks
of inspecting for peeling paint and repainting
20 percent of the school each
year.
Warning sign posted for lead based paint work Getty Images
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