Construction Project Threatens To Pollute The Learning Environment At John Jay
Students feel like they’re again getting the shaft at the John Jay Educational Complex.
A new change.org petition claims that, starting in September, construction at the New York Methodist Hospital (506 6th St) will cause such air and noise pollution at John Jay (237 7th Ave) that the schools will need to seal their windows for the duration of the project, creating a need for air conditioners that John Jay says New York Methodist should pay for.
The petition states that:
The three schools housed in the John Jay building that do not currently have ACs in all classrooms (Park Slope Collegiate, Secondary School for Law, and Secondary School for Journalism) serve a student population where 80 percent of the families qualify for free or reduced lunch. Consequently, students with the least resources will be disparately impacted by the detrimental effects of construction on student learning.
Methodist has offered to contribute $10,000, out of an estimated $150,000 needed, toward the cost of ACs for all of our classrooms, gyms, and cafeteria. We have concluded, after extensive research, that neither the city nor the Department of Education has any available channels through which to fund the remaining $140,000. Window ACs are explicitly excluded from funding through the School Construction Authority capital funds and through city council members’ participatory budgeting efforts.
The Methodist construction project is creating the immediate need for ACs in our building. A $10,000 contribution, while welcome, is an incredibly small number when compared to the total construction budget, which is over $445 million.
We’re not alone in these concerns. The Coalition for Safe Schools–a group of New York City schools and City Council members–is working to pass a bill that would require any construction project next to a public school to keep the construction noise heard in classrooms below 45 decibels. This is the maximum noise level recommended by experts, including Mt Sinai Hospital’s Children Environmental Health Unit.
Notably, Millenium Brooklyn High School is not among the schools in need of air conditioning. Parents at John Jay have long complained that Millenium students receive disparate funding and treatment.
However, Kevin Conway, the principal at Millenium, pointed out that its air conditioning is a product of being the newest addition to the educational campus, having been built in 2011.
“MBHS readily supports any building-wide initiative that benefits the health and well-being of students on the John Jay campus,” said Conway.
If you agree that students deserve an education free from the additional Sturm und Drang caused by the construction, click here to view and sign the petition.
