Asbestos discovery in East Ramapo schools prompts parents, NYCLU to rally
Ignacio Acevedo, an organizer with the union, compared the situation to the environmental racism in Flint, Michigan.
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Parents from East Ramapo Central School District joined forces with representatives from the New York Civil Liberties Union for a rally Tuesday after the district announced that it canceled some of the summer school programs because asbestos was found in the buildings.
The discovery comes after reports surfaced about lead contamination in the district and years after they said the Spring Valley High School was closed because of mold.
The parents said they're now worried that the sudden cancellation of some summer programs will impact thousands of students and their families.
Ignacio Acevedo, an organizer with the union, even compared the situation to the environmental racism in Flint, Michigan.
"You go across [the street] and there's a private school there with high quality materials. Then across [the street], there's a building falling a part, kids cannot drink the water from the faucets, cannot go to the bathroom. The difference is that the majority of kids in this public school are kids of color and over there are white," Acevedo said.
The parents said their rally also coincided with the district's budget revote.
In another effort to make their concerns heard, the parents moved their demonstration inside where a school meeting was going on in Spring Valley on Tuesday.
Several parents participated during the public comment section of the meeting and said they were prepared to fight for their children for as long as it takes.
News 12 reached out to the district for a comment about the matter before the rally and the board meeting took place but have not heard back yet.
