Please click on the link to enlage and read the resolution.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Saturday, April 11, 2009
PCUE AND UMDNJ APPLY FOR FEDERAL GRANT TO IMPROVE ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY IN JC PUBLIC SCHOOLS
PCUE AND UMDNJ APPLY FOR FEDERAL GRANT TO IMPROVE
ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY IN JC PUBLIC SCHOOLS
In follow up with our healthy school campaign, an application was submitted to the federal government (National Institute of Health) for funds for a collaborative project between SEOC-PCUE and UMDNJ (University of Medicine and Dentistry of NJ) School of Public Health/Safe Schools Program. The centerpiece of the this project is community involvement in improving health and environmental safety of the our schools.
This funding would support a four-year project that consist of three main components:
- Data Gathering: Collecting data on the health-related school environment that we don't already have clear information on
- Education: Based on data collected, educating staff, parents, and students about the importance and results of this investigation
- Using what we learn and find: Making recommendations and, if necessary, mounting political pressure, to get the school district to fix potential health hazards
The data collection piece will have two main parts:
- We will use the newly-adopted health-and-safety school report-card proposed by PCUE. UMDNJ-Safe Schools would train parents, community members school staff who volunteer to conduct walkthrough in the schools in teams using the report-card.
- We would use the UMDNJ-Safe Schools scientific expertise and equipment to test dust (how much is there and what materials are in it), ventilation, temperature, and humidity. They would also train us to be able to help with this data collection too. The research would be done in a scientifically random sample of 12 elementary schools, three middle schools, and three senior high schools.
Support from School District
The success of this project partly depends on school district involvement and cooperation. With assistance from Suzanne Mack, PCUE-SEOC and Dr. Derek Shendell from UMDNJ held a meeting with a few board members, Dr. Epps, and several of his staff. This meeting was followed by a few emails and telephone conversations. At first, there was concern about parent/community involvement in school walkthrough and data collection and possible public implications for the school district. In our communications, we were able to succinctly address the reservations and concerns expressed by the school district about the project. As a result, Dr Epps agreed to write a letter of support and committed to collaborate with this project.
Jersey City Education Association Supports PCUE-UMDNJ Project
PCUE-SEOC also met with Thomas Favia, President of teacher's local union (Jersey City Education Association) to discuss the proposal and seek their support and collaboration. A second meeting took place with Roy Tamargo who heads the Health and Safety Committee of the union. He was extremely complimentary of PCUE's efforts and achievements and recommended to his union's executive board that they provide a letter of support. The union President did write a letter of support and pledged to collaborate with the project.
A third letter of support which was the easiest part was a letter from our President, LueElla McFadden!
This collaborative effort between PCUE-SEOC and the UMDNJ with support and commitment from the school district and teacher's union has been only possible because of PCUE's year-long campaign to improve health and environmental safety in JC public schools, legitimacy of our demands, outreach to the community and interested parties, and our track record to obtain tangible improvement in the schools, and support from the public.
Thanks to everyone that made the successful completion of this application possible.
Next Step: If our application is approved, our work would begin with a year of planning to start in the fall 2009. This planning we envision would be a collaborative effort among PCUE, UMDNJ, JC school district, and teacher's union.
Facility Committee of the BOE Reviews PCUE Healthy School Proposals and Develops a Framework for Progress
To Superintendent Epps and all Members of the Board of Education:
The Executive board of Parents and Communities United for Education would like to thank you for the Facility Meeting held on the 28th of January. It was the first time that we felt welcomed to any of the meetings that we've attended thus far.
We were very pleased about the outcome of the meeting. The open dialogue used for this meeting was especially appreciated and we all learned something from each other.
As you may know, we have been meeting with members of the board and we would like to continue doing this. Parents and Communities United for Education is a strong, dedicated and knowledgeable group of parents and community members to make our schools, safe, clean, and improve our academics. This is going to take a lot of work on both our sides. We won't agree all the time of course, but we also don't have to be at war.
Below you'll find our understanding of the discussion that occurred at the Facility Committee Meeting last Thursday, January 28th. We think this is a great FRAMEWORK for progress.
LueElla McFadden, President
Parents and Communities Unite
The Executive board of Parents and Communities United for Education would like to thank you for the Facility Meeting held on the 28th of January. It was the first time that we felt welcomed to any of the meetings that we've attended thus far.
We were very pleased about the outcome of the meeting. The open dialogue used for this meeting was especially appreciated and we all learned something from each other.
As you may know, we have been meeting with members of the board and we would like to continue doing this. Parents and Communities United for Education is a strong, dedicated and knowledgeable group of parents and community members to make our schools, safe, clean, and improve our academics. This is going to take a lot of work on both our sides. We won't agree all the time of course, but we also don't have to be at war.
Below you'll find our understanding of the discussion that occurred at the Facility Committee Meeting last Thursday, January 28th. We think this is a great FRAMEWORK for progress.
- The Walk through would start immediately for all forty schools.
- The State checklist and the proposed PCUE checklist will be one form.
- We were told that there was no reason that the walk through couldn't be done twice a year. Although there was no definitive commitment.
- There was openness to parent involvement in the walkthrough, including having a parent representative from each school, forming a Parent Advisory Committee, and also PCUE participation.
- There will be follow-up meetings.
- Parent notification was not discussed, but we understand that it will be part of the framework.
LueElla McFadden, President
Parents and Communities Unite
2007 QSAC Report : JC School District Fails to Complete Annual Health and Safety Checklist for Each School
To see the report click on the image above:NJ Quality Single Accountability Continuum (QSAC), under Operation and Management regulations, requires that JC Board of Education conduct an annual evaluation for each school building using health and safety using a checklist. The report shows that JC school district is not complying with the state regulations regarding school facilities.
Board of Education Adopts PCUE Healthy School Report Card
Click on the images above to enlarge and read the report card:Health and Safety Report Card
Beginning in October, 2008, PCUE focused its efforts around the collaborative development of a health-and-safety report card that could be used on a semi-annual basis, with the help of parents, to identify elements in the physical school environment that could negatively impact student health. With assistance from the NJ Work Environmental Council, an initial check list for a report-card was circulated by SEOC-PCUE among the members of the Jersey City Board of Education. At the urging of PCUE parents, the President of the Jersey City Board of Education, Mr. William DeRosa, who had taken an interest in the issue, drafted a sample report card to be reviewed by PCUE. Leaders of PCUE revised the report card and refined it with the help of the UMDNJ-SPH and the NJ Safe Schools Program (Dr. Shendell); the process involved three drafts between November, 2008 and January, 2009. The health-and-safety report card developed through this collaboration, which can be used as a self-administered walk-through survey by one person or a team of people in classrooms and other buildings on campus, was adopted by the Facility Committee of the Jersey City Board of Education on January 25, 2009. SEOC-PCUE's crucial role in this process revolved around generating the community interest and political will necessary to make this a priority issue for the school board, and receiving science and engineering based input from UMDNJ-SPH.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Press Advisory: We want school health and safety report card
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2002
Parents Assemble at Board of Education Meeting
6p.m. Thursday, Dec. 18, 2008
The city’s grassroots public school reform organization, Parents and Communities United for Education (PCUE), will call on Jersey City Schools District Superintendent Charles T. Epps and the Jersey City Board of Education to adopt and implement PCUE’s proposal for a semi-annual health and safety report card, previously submitted. The advanced age of the city’s public school buildings – most are several decades old and some are over hundred years old -- calls for urgent attention to creating a healthy and safe school environment. A healthy school not only contributes to the comfort, health, and well-being of students but also allows students to perform better academically.
What: Parents assemble with signs in their hands to bring public attention to the need for school walkthrough and health and safety report card. Parent leaders will address the board and the public present at the meeting.
When: Thursday, Dec, 18, 2008 at 6pm
Where: School # 11, PS Martin Luther king, Jr.
---------------------------------------------------------
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Luella McFadden, PCUE President: 201-918-2918
Loyda Goldston, First Vice-president: 973-204-4121
Monday, November 24, 2008
At the Board of Education meeting, parents demand health and safety report card.
On Thursday, Nov. 20, more than 30 parents and a dozen children assembled at the Board of Education meeting to tell Charles Epps, Jersey City School District Superintendent, and members of the Board of Education that parents have a right to know the health conditions of the schools their children go to. At the meeting, parents told the Board to adopt PCUE proposal for health and safety report card for each school in Jersey City.
Below you can read PCUE statement at the meeting. The pictures from the PCUE action can be viewed in the next two blogs.
******************************************
Dr. Epps, Members of the Board, Parents, and Visitors
Hello,
My name is LueElla McFadden. I am President of the Parents and Communities United for Education (PCUE). I am also a great grandmother of a child in School # 38.
Dr. Epps, we received your letter yesterday (hand delivered to our office) regarding the lead remediation. We are glad that the facility department has been taking care of the lead problem and a second set of testing is planned to take place. Dr. Epps, we thank you and all board members and also all our hard working maintenance and custodial workers who do their best to keep our schools in good conditions.
One thing we would like to see happen is that we want PCUE to be notified of the progress being made in regard to the water situation. But the most important thing here is to have parents be notified through internal flyers sent home by school students and it should be done in a timely manner. This is a must. We would like you to ensure that all principals in the district have these flyers go out with the students, and we will, of course, notify all our parents that we are in contact with on a daily/weekly basis.
We would like to extend a special thanks to Mr. DeRosa, Ms. Sue Mack, Mr. Dehere and Mr. McCann who met with us to talk about our proposal regarding a Health and Safety Report Card for each school. Why is the report card important? It is important because it will ensure that the parents and students are notified and aware of the conditions of each school and to bridge the communication gap between our parents and the School District.
Our goal is to have the report card put into policy to ensure that all Jersey City schools are safe and healthy for our students. A mere adoption is not enough. We want it to be a policy so that there is accountability and that it can be enforced. We understand that there is a process involved in bringing such an idea to fruition and that it is a collaborative effort, but we need you to realize the importance of the policy to the parents.
We need you and all board members to know how important it is that parents are and must be involved in the school walk-through. We also want to make sure that this report card is issued semi-annually.
The creation of this report card is very important to all concerned. It will bring the kind of healthy and safe environment that is urgently needed in our public school system today.
Thank you and we are looking forward to working with you to make our schools a better place for all our children.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Letter from Epps to PCUE regarding lead remediation plan
Page 1
Page 2Please click on the images to read the letter.
Friday, November 21, 2008
PCUE Letter to Dr. Epps: Fix high level of lead in our schools’ drinking water sources
Parents and Communities United for Education (PCUE)
Jersey City Chapter of the Statewide Education Organizing Committee (SEOC)
169-A Martin Luther King Drive, Jersey City NJ 07305
201-918-2918 --- pcue.info@seocnj.org
Nov. 10, 2008
Dr. Charles Epps, School District Superintendent
Jersey City Board of Education
346 Claremont Ave.
Jersey City, NJ 07305
Dear Dr. Epps,
As we write this letter to you, PCUE has not yet received the lead remediation plan/timeline. You told us, in your letter dated Oct. 8, that it would be available to us by the week of Oct. 20th. The plan was originally supposed to be ready by Oct. 3 as was stated to the Jersey Journal by your spokesperson Mr. Roger Jones. We are very disappointed that our school district has been dragging its feet to deal with the lead problem in drinking water in a decisive manner.
More than two years ago in September 2006, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) warned you about the high level of lead in drinking water in our schools. For 18 months, your administration not only failed to do anything about it, but also did not share that information with parents of children in our schools and the community until it became national news in January 2008.
Under public pressure, your administration finally began testing of water sources in all schools in May, 2008 and completed the process in July. In your letter to the parents, you stated that according to EPA guidelines a remediation plan could only be developed when all the testing is done and test results were available for all schools. This was inaccurate information to the public which you attributed to EPA. We learned about this information from a letter that was sent to you by Ms. Dore LaPosta, Director of Division of Enforcement and Compliance Assistance, EPA Region II.
As stated by Ms. LaPosta, there was no need to wait to have the test results for all the schools. Your administration could have begun correcting lead problem as test results were available for each school. This would mean that the district could have remediated the lead problem before the start of this school year.
EPA guidelines require a short-term and a long term plan to rectify the lead problem. We are glad to see that as a short-term solution, the district is currently providing safe drinking water to children in our schools. However, safe drinking water availability is a continuous problem in many schools. Parents from various schools complain that water coolers provided by the school district either run out of water or cups are not available. In other occasions, water is not readily accessible to children. Some parents even complain that their schools do not even provide drinking water for children unless in case of emergency when children forget to bring water from home. On Thursday, Nov. 6 we called and conveyed this to Mr. Crisonino.
We understand that providing safe drinking water to 30,000 students in 40 schools, under current condition when drinking water fountains are shut off, is not an easy job. However, we are asking that the school district make all the effort to have safe drinking water available for our children at all times. No child in our schools should go without safe drinking water and no parent should be forced to provide water to their children to take to school. It is the responsibility of schools to have safe drinking water for our children while they are in schools.
Also, we urge you to share with parents and the community how and when you plan to permanently fix the lead problem in drinking water. Under EPA guideline, you are advised to share that information with the public. Furthermore, you made a commitment to parents that you would notify them of the lead remediation plan/timeline.
As parents of children, we have a right to know how and when the district will be correcting this long over due lead problem that exist in our schools. We are concerned about our children’s health, well-being, and comfort in schools. We are concerned that the school district is not motivated enough to act decisively to deal with the lead problem and even worse is keeping us in the dark.
Dr. Epps, we urge you to address our concerns. It is time for action, not more promises. You may reach us at 201-918-2918.
Sincerely,
LueElla McFadden, President
Parents and Communities United for Education
Cc: Members of the Board of Education
Jersey City Chapter of the Statewide Education Organizing Committee (SEOC)
169-A Martin Luther King Drive, Jersey City NJ 07305
201-918-2918 --- pcue.info@seocnj.org
Nov. 10, 2008
Dr. Charles Epps, School District Superintendent
Jersey City Board of Education
346 Claremont Ave.
Jersey City, NJ 07305
Dear Dr. Epps,
As we write this letter to you, PCUE has not yet received the lead remediation plan/timeline. You told us, in your letter dated Oct. 8, that it would be available to us by the week of Oct. 20th. The plan was originally supposed to be ready by Oct. 3 as was stated to the Jersey Journal by your spokesperson Mr. Roger Jones. We are very disappointed that our school district has been dragging its feet to deal with the lead problem in drinking water in a decisive manner.
More than two years ago in September 2006, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) warned you about the high level of lead in drinking water in our schools. For 18 months, your administration not only failed to do anything about it, but also did not share that information with parents of children in our schools and the community until it became national news in January 2008.
Under public pressure, your administration finally began testing of water sources in all schools in May, 2008 and completed the process in July. In your letter to the parents, you stated that according to EPA guidelines a remediation plan could only be developed when all the testing is done and test results were available for all schools. This was inaccurate information to the public which you attributed to EPA. We learned about this information from a letter that was sent to you by Ms. Dore LaPosta, Director of Division of Enforcement and Compliance Assistance, EPA Region II.
As stated by Ms. LaPosta, there was no need to wait to have the test results for all the schools. Your administration could have begun correcting lead problem as test results were available for each school. This would mean that the district could have remediated the lead problem before the start of this school year.
EPA guidelines require a short-term and a long term plan to rectify the lead problem. We are glad to see that as a short-term solution, the district is currently providing safe drinking water to children in our schools. However, safe drinking water availability is a continuous problem in many schools. Parents from various schools complain that water coolers provided by the school district either run out of water or cups are not available. In other occasions, water is not readily accessible to children. Some parents even complain that their schools do not even provide drinking water for children unless in case of emergency when children forget to bring water from home. On Thursday, Nov. 6 we called and conveyed this to Mr. Crisonino.
We understand that providing safe drinking water to 30,000 students in 40 schools, under current condition when drinking water fountains are shut off, is not an easy job. However, we are asking that the school district make all the effort to have safe drinking water available for our children at all times. No child in our schools should go without safe drinking water and no parent should be forced to provide water to their children to take to school. It is the responsibility of schools to have safe drinking water for our children while they are in schools.
Also, we urge you to share with parents and the community how and when you plan to permanently fix the lead problem in drinking water. Under EPA guideline, you are advised to share that information with the public. Furthermore, you made a commitment to parents that you would notify them of the lead remediation plan/timeline.
As parents of children, we have a right to know how and when the district will be correcting this long over due lead problem that exist in our schools. We are concerned about our children’s health, well-being, and comfort in schools. We are concerned that the school district is not motivated enough to act decisively to deal with the lead problem and even worse is keeping us in the dark.
Dr. Epps, we urge you to address our concerns. It is time for action, not more promises. You may reach us at 201-918-2918.
Sincerely,
LueElla McFadden, President
Parents and Communities United for Education
Cc: Members of the Board of Education
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Jersey Journal: School cafeteria can't reopen yet
School cafeteria can't reopen yet
Friday, October 24, 2008
By KEN THORBOURNE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER
The cafeteria at School 25 in the Jersey City Heights section flunked an inspection by city health officials yesterday morning when they found fresh mouse droppings, city and school officials said.
The cafeteria, which serves 723 kindergarten through fifth-graders, was shut Tuesday.
Inspectors yesterday found mouse droppings in the kitchen and dining area and it appears the exterminator called in by school officials treated the area for a cockroach problem instead of mice infestation, said city spokeswoman Jennifer Morrill.
School officials were told they need to put down glue traps and seal openings around entry doors so mice can't enter the building, Morrill said.
"We are not looking to fine them (the Board of Education)," Morrill added. "We are looking to insure that the cafeteria is safe and that no one gets sick from any diseases that could possibly spread from mice activity."
An employee at the Kennedy Boulevard school, who didn't want to be identified, said the mice problem is nothing new and has spread to classrooms.
"And now that food is being eaten in the classrooms it is going to get worse," the worker said.
Custodians were scheduled to work though the night if necessary to rectify the problem, said Board of Education spokesman Gerard Crisonino.
Students at the school ate breakfast and lunch in their classrooms, which would be cleaned thoroughly at the end of the day, Crisonino said.
The school had cold lunches brought in, he said. Normally, the school doesn't prepare hot meals, but heats food already prepared in the kitchen, he said.
In the meantime, some 300 students and their teachers at the School 23 Annex on Duncan Avenue went without heat Wednesday afternoon and half of yesterday due to a broken valve on the school's furnace, Crisonino said. The boiler was fixed yesterday about 1 p.m., he said.
School 25 cafeteria is shut; mouse dropping cited
School 25 cafeteria is shut; mouse
droppings cited
Thursday, October 23, 2008
By TOM SHORTELL
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER
Jersey City health inspectors closed the cafeteria of School 25 in the Heights on Tuesday after receiving a tip about mouse problems on the building's ground floor.
Inspectors found mice droppings in the ground floor cafeteria and the basement of the Kennedy Boulevard school, said Jennifer Morrill, the mayor's spokeswoman.
Inspectors closed the cafeteria after lunch on Tuesday and it will remain closed until it can pass inspection, officials said. In the meantime, cafeteria workers cannot heat food for the school's 723 kindergarten through fifth grade students, officials said.
Meals at School 25 are cooked elsewhere, but heated and served in the cafeteria, said Jersey City Public Schools spokesman Gerard Crisonino. The school has called in exterminators and needs to board up any access points mice could have to the building, Morrill said.
Crisonino said the Board of Education hopes the cafeteria can be reopened today, when health inspectors are expected to re-examine the building.
The violations aren't as severe as inspectors made them out to be, he added. "The health violations were not that egregious. However, we don't want any of our facilities to not be the best environment for students," he said.
Students ate breakfast in their classrooms yesterday, and no lunch was scheduled since it was a half day, he said.
Most students at the school get lunches for free or at reduced prices through a federal food program, he added.
Letter from Epps to PCUE regarding lead remediation plan
Charles Epps, JC School District Superintendent, promises to have the lead remediation plan available by the of week of Oct. 20.
To read the letter please click on the image above.
Monday, October 6, 2008
PCUE Asks Dr. Epps for Lead Remediation Plan
Parents and Communities United for Education (PCUE)
Office: 201-9182918 -- Email:pcue.info@seocnj.org
September 30, 2008
Dear Dr. Epps,
We are writing you today to first and foremost thank you for responding to our concerns and your work in ensuring that our public schools were tested for lead and also for your efforts in providing our children with water coolers in the schools.
On Sept.3, 2008, Mr. Roger Jones, your spokesperson, told the Jersey Journal that a remediation plan to permanently correct lead problem in drinking water would be ready within 30 days. The 30-day mark, (Oct. 3rd) is fast approaching, and we are anxiously awaiting this plan/timeline. We, as the concerned parents of children in your district are requesting that a copy that of this remediation plan/timeline be sent to our office by Oct. 8th when our members meet to review it. Your cooperation in this matter is much appreciated.
Sincerely
Louella McFadden, President of P.C.U.E.
CC:
All School Board Members
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Jersey Journal: Parents group to rally at board of ed over water quality
Parents group to rally at board of education over water quality
by The Jersey Journal Wednesday September 03, 2008, 10:31 AM
A parents group plans to hold a rally today in front of the Jersey City Board of Education to ask for changes in district policy in the wake of tests showing lead in some school water sources.
The rally, by the group Parents and Communities United for Education, will be from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in front of 346 Claremont Ave.
The group is asking the board to create a health and environmental safety committee that includes three parents, an "indoor air quality walk through team" including three parents and issue semi-annual health and safety report cards for each school.Read the comments on line:
http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2008/09/parents_group_to_rally_at_boar.html
Jersey Journal: Sullied water sparks rally
Sullied school water sparks rally
Thursday, September 04, 2008
By LYSA CHEN
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER
Jersey City parents and children rallied outside the Board of Education building yesterday, asking for more transparency and faster action as the district moves to clean up lead found in drinking water at schools this summer.
The final results of the district's voluntary lead testing program, released last month, found that 3 percent of water sources at school buildings have elevated levels of lead, even when the faucets were allowed to run for a few minutes. The federal Environmental Protection Agency lead standard for drinking water is no more than 20-parts-per-billion.
"Now what?" shouted parents, as they marched outside the Claremont Avenue building, chanting and carrying signs.
"Our experience shows that if parents do not speak up, do not organize, then the district procrastinates," said Mahmood Ketabchi, organizer of the Parents and Communities United for Education rally.
PCUE leaders demanded a timeline for the district's lead clean-up by the end of the month, creation of a BOE standing committee dedicated to environmental issues, an indoor air quality walk-through that includes parents, and a semi-annual health and safety report card for each school.
Within 30 days, the district will announce a permanent remedy to the elevated lead problem, said Roger Jones, a spokesman for the district.
Any water sources that showed elevated levels of lead were shut off and water coolers were dispatched to the schools, he added.
"We're on their side whether they understand it or not," Jones said, referring to the ralliers. "We welcome this dialogue. By no means are our doors closed."
Read the article on line:
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Press Release: Parents Want Healthy Schools
Parents &
Communities
United for
Education
For Immediate Release
Sept. 3, 2008
Rally for Healthy Schools, Wednesday, 12:30pm Sept. 3
Parents Urge Epps and School Board on Safe Water
and Healthy Schools
Parents and Communities United for Education (PCUE), the
PCUE’s Proposed Initiative Include:
- Creating a standing committee of the Board of Education that is exclusively responsible for the health and environmental safety of our schools. Three parents should be a part of this committee.
- Creating an Indoor Air Quality Walkthrough Team following EPA guidelines at the district level. This team should include parents.
- Issuing semi-annual health and safety report cards for each school to parents of children in
LueElla McFadden, President of PCUE and a great grandmother of a child in School # 38 stated that “we cannot allow another debacle like the lead problem to occur or a school to be closed because of mold problems.” “Our schools in this city are by and large very old, some over 100 years. Our school district must make health and environmental safety a top priority,“ she added.
Plan to Remediate Lead Problem
On August 6, 08, the JC Board of Education released the final test results for the last set of schools. A tally of the test results for all schools shows that more than 10% of water sources tested have elevated lead in the first draw - samples taken after the water source have not been used for at least 8 hours, and about 3% in the second draw - samples taken after the water had been allowed to run from water sources for a few minutes.
“The Board has announced that they plan to develop a remediation plan to correct the lead problem. But they have not said when such plan would be ready,” said Edna Williams, Vice President of PCUE and a grandmother of two children in School # 34. “We are concerned that our school officials will procrastinate as they did with the testing. This is about our children and their health, and we do not take it lightly. We are asking the Board to develop a remediation plan with a clear timeline by the end of September. Also, as parents and members of the community we want to know what that plan is. Therefore, they should share that plan with the public,” she stated.
Loyda Goldston, PCUE First Vice President said, “In any schools where water is completely or partially shut off, children must be given clean bottled water and not told to bring their own drinking water.” “The board also expects parents to send toilet paper to school with their children. That is ridiculous! Our schools have a budget of $630 million. Today we have brought with us rolls of toilet paper and a pack of bottled water to the board. This is our first and last donation. We need them to do their job.”
PCUE is a grassroots organization of parents, grandparents, and concerned members of the community. It is a chapter of the Statewide Education Organizing Committee of NJ. PCUE is committed to organizing parents in all
____________________________________________
Contact:September 2, 2008 LueElla McFadden, President—201-918-2918
Loyda Goldston, 1st Vice-president-- 973-204-4121
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