NEW YORK—PS 51 stands alone as the only building on the block between 10th and 11th avenues on West 45th Street. Behind it, heavy machinery digs, hammers, and scrapes the ground in the construction of a new high-rise. Several more high-rise buildings are expected to begin construction nearby. Inside the classrooms, the noise is almost unbearable say teachers and parents, damaging not only the children’s education, but also their health.
The entire block is being developed into a high-rise complex. A new building for PS 51 is being built on the grounds of the old school, as part of the development.
“There is an odd mix of toxins that are here. Each one is a toxic threat,” said Joel Kupferman, executive director of the New York Environmental Law and Justice Project; representing the parents of PS 51 in an effort to relocate the school during construction.
According to Kupferman, the main toxins are dust and silica dust, which alone can cause numerous health problems. In addition, there is a threat of lead from the ageing buildings, as well as toxic vapors that were stored over time in the ground, which penetrate into the school.
Though the parents have received written support from elected officials, among them Council Speaker Christine Quinn and Borough President Scott Stringer, they feel neglected and abused.
The entire block is being developed into a high-rise complex. A new building for PS 51 is being built on the grounds of the old school, as part of the development.
“There is an odd mix of toxins that are here. Each one is a toxic threat,” said Joel Kupferman, executive director of the New York Environmental Law and Justice Project; representing the parents of PS 51 in an effort to relocate the school during construction.
According to Kupferman, the main toxins are dust and silica dust, which alone can cause numerous health problems. In addition, there is a threat of lead from the ageing buildings, as well as toxic vapors that were stored over time in the ground, which penetrate into the school.
Though the parents have received written support from elected officials, among them Council Speaker Christine Quinn and Borough President Scott Stringer, they feel neglected and abused.
According to Tamara Flannagan, parent of a second-grader, noise, dust particles, asbestos, and vaporous toxins are causing an increase in coughing fits, rashes, and emergency room visits. Recently she applied to have her son transferred to a different school, as have other parents at the school; however not all parents have that option.
“This is a teaching nightmare,” said Shani Perez, art teacher at PS 51. “The students can’t hear us teach, can’t here us speaking. We only hear the excavating,” she said. The health problems are also the lot of many teachers, and not just students, Perez emphasized, “We go home with sore throats every day, with headaches. It is not acceptable.”
Recently the DOE proposed to split the school in two, relocating the lower classes to PS 11 and the upper classes to Clinton Middle School, a proposal that sparked the ire of parents.
“What is it that they are offering to us? To split the school in two and place the children in an environment where they are unwanted and unwelcome?” asked Flanagan.
The splitting of the school would pose too many educational and logistical obstacles and will hamper the children’s education, say parents. The parents have suggested an alternative site, located on 56th Street and 10th Avenue, but the city did not approve the location.
According to a letter from the principal to parents dated June 17, the DOE stated that if the split is not accepted the school will have to remain in its current location until the new school is operational.
In response to the parents’ accusations, the DOE said, “Although we believe PS 51 students are in safe conditions, we’ve been in discussions with the community about proposals that would move the school to another location.”
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