New York Lawyers for the Public Interest

Many of these school sites may be contaminated with toxins such as lead, arsenic, and a range of carcinogenic and volatile organic compounds.

These toxins can jeopardize the long-term health of children and school personnel in serious ways. The New York Lawyers for the Public Interest (NYLPI) has experience empowering community boards, parents, and other stakeholders to get information and ensure school building are safe, healthy learning environments. NYHealth awarded a grant to NYLPI to target school districts where new school sites were being considered and work in those neighborhoods so that parents, teachers, city officials, and other community members were educated about the school-siting issues and empowered to advocate for themselves.