This report based on a survey of school conditions carried out by the New York City Healthy Schools Working Group provides a snapshot of the environmental conditions in New York City public schools. It shows the results of years of neglect of infrastructure for children and reveals disturbing new information about the environmental health of school occupants. It is remarkable that a time when children are being held to higher standards, that there are few standards to protect their health from hazards at school, and that even existing laws created to protect adult health and safety are being ignored. Most surprising is that, with millions of dollars spent on documenting 'brick and mortar' problems, our survey is the first to ask New York City school occupants about the public health and environmental problems that they face. These problems are not unique to New York City. The over-all results concur with a United States General Accounting Office (1995) report that surveyed schools nationally, and provides telling stories of the impact of decayed conditions on the students, teachers, and others who use schools almost daily. It also illuminates the need for federal, state, and local political leaders to uphold the law and to be held accountable for conditions that clearly are impairing children's environmental health and the ability to learn.

This report comes out of the New York City Healthy Schools Network Working Group, made up of over 25 organizations and agencies and coordinated by the Executive Director of Advocates for Children of New York Inc (AFC). The Healthy Schools Network, Inc. (HSN), is a state-wide organization of parents, environment, education, and public health groups dedicated to assuring every child and school employee an environmentally healthy school, through information, education, and coalition building. AFC has worked in partnership with New York City's most impoverished and vulnerable families to secure quality and equal public education services for over 25 years. AFC staff directed the project, collected the surveys, did the initial data analysis supplemented by another analysis from HSN , and wrote the report with comments and editing from other Healthy Schools Working Group members.

In all, the responses of some 65 people using 39 different schools who completed our survey -- including parents, students over the age of twelve, teachers, and other school employees -- demonstrate that accountability and priorities on putting children's environmental health first are urgently needed to improve the environmental health of those attending or working in New York City's public schools .

There was no attempt either to target unhealthy individuals or 'unhealthy' schools, or to create a statistically significant sample of either New York City public school users or school buildings. We believe the results, which are generally consistent with federal reports and with what school occupants have been saying for years, and which are not widely known by the public, deserve public attention. The report on results is given in three parts: environmental health of school users (n= 65), reports on school conditions (n= 39), and a list of ten schools that had multiple survey responses and their reported problems.

• 40% reported a medical condition such as asthma or allergies
• 39% of those with medical conditions said the school conditions made their health worse.
• 14% reported sensitivity to air or fumes in schools and 12% reported more serious asthma or allergies attacks at school.

• 35 % of schools were reported as having no fire extinguishers and/or alarms easily accessible in classrooms, and 15% of respondents said they were unaware of a safe exit strategy for leaving the building.
• 35% of schools were reported as not having a playground
• 33% of schools were reported as having poor ventilation
• 24% of schools had inadequate heat
• 30 % had lighting that was inadequate
• 26% of schools had an obvious roach or rodent problem.
• 45% did not have clean bathrooms and many lacked soap and toilet paper
• 37% had drinking water that tasted funny
• 24% indicated that the cafeterias were not clean
• 40% reported garbage and discarded waste present around the school.
• 24% of schools were reported to have cracks or holes in the walls and ceilings of classrooms
• 27% reported peeling paint in classrooms
• 40% of schools were reported as overcrowded, with more than one-quarter having thirty or more students in class and classes held in auditoriums and halls.

In order to remedy this situation, adjustments and improvements must be made. These efforts include repairing the current problems in schools effectively and efficiently and renovating or building new schools that actually meet or exceed health and environmental safety laws. Additionally, there are numerous low cost/no cost actions, such as non-toxic pest management or increasing ventilation by opening windows that are nailed or painted shut that can be taken by our school system to make our children's learning environment a safer, healthier place.

• Existing laws need to be properly enforced. In almost all problem areas described in this report, laws exist prohibiting these circumstances. Regular, thorough inspections of schools with proper follow up and accountability is necessary.
• Federal funds must be provided directly to states for school construction and repair.
• The Commissioner of Education needs the authority to close schools that threaten heath and safety and to set regulations to protect pupil health.
• The State and City must tie school Minor Maintenance and Repair funding to environmental health needs of children and other school occupants.
• The NYC Board of Education must commit to adopting and widely using US EPA protocols to improve indoor air quality in schools.
• The State must require New York City schools to meet all the same schedules and regulations as upstate schools for the state's new 'comprehensive school safety program' for facility improvements.
• The State Legislature should pass and the Governor sign 'healthy school environments' bills designed to: improve school air quality, improve school energy efficiency; reduce school pesticide use; and provide guidelines on school nontoxic supply purchasing.