Yesterday’s press conference at Tweed Hall celebrated a remarkable settlement that will free our public schools of dangerous PCB light fixtures sooner rather than later.
“This settlement is a real victory for New York City parents, students and schools staff as in three and a half years, our public schools will finally be free of these toxic PCB light fixtures,” said Christina Giorgio, a staff attorney with the New York Lawyers for the Public Interest . “This case has always been about getting children and staff out of harm’s way.”
The legal settlement cut in half the City’s original ten-year timeline for removing light fixtures containing toxic polychlorinated biphenyls from schools. “Ten years is way too long,” said city councilwoman Gale Brewer.
Parents, advocates, labor leaders, and elected officials rallied in the celebration. They thanked one another for the support and partnership created in the PCB campaign over the last two years. It was clear to me as it was to others on the steps of Tweed Hall that this victory was made possible with unwavering grassroots organizing and the strong collaboration of different stakeholders.
Now that the settlement has been won, NYLPI, the New York Communities for Change and other advocates will have to monitor the City’s work to ensure that the job gets done. The coalition undoubtedly is ready to take this on.
