7 years after East Ramapo shut school taps due to lead, activists call on state to act

After a building condition survey failed every school in East Ramapo, citing nonfunctioning taps that were turned off seven years ago because of lead contamination, the New York Civil Liberties Union and about two dozen community groups once again called on the state to step in.

The groups drew a direct line to the Flint, Michigan, water crisis: Flint's population consists primarily of people of color, with many families living in poverty; the public school population in East Ramapo is overwhelmingly children of color, most of whom are considered economically disadvantaged.

"We cannot allow any children to learn in such deplorable, unhealthy, environmentally racist conditions," the July 19 letter to Education Commissioner Betty Rosa states. "East Ramapo’s white majority rule over a community of color is more reminiscent of the Jim Crow South than what we expect in New York."

East Ramapo building conditions: All schools fail state-mandated survey; fixes could cost $500M

Public school advocates like Oscar Cohen, co-chair of the NAACP Spring Valley Chapter's Education Committee, say East Ramapo's issues go way beyond the lack of action on certain water fixtures.

"Let’s say they fix the water tomorrow," Cohen said. "The district is (still) dysfunctional."

Water turned off

Johanna Miller, director of NYCLU’s Education Policy Center, said turning off lead-laden taps was not sufficient. Parents and students have told her that school “refreshment stations” are inconsistently stocked. Thirsty children, especially younger kids, could still drink from a contaminated bathroom sink.

Read the letter: NYCLU, community organizations demand state action in East Ramapo

A child's developing brain and nervous system are more susceptible to the toxic effects of lead. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that washing hands with water that contains lead is O.K., "just don't drink it!"

East Ramapo schools Superintendent Clarence Ellis, when asked about plans to fix the lead issue, issued this statement: "The latest Building Condition Survey shows the need for significant upgrades in our buildings. We are reviewing different financial options to make the necessary improvements quickly, especially ones that directly impact the health and safety of our students and staff."

Specific questions about the lead and water issues went unanswered. At this point, there is no public plan to address the lead problem.

On July 28, Ellis sent a letter to the community regarding the building survey. "We acknowledge that questions have arisen regarding the district's sense of urgency in making critical repairs, and we want to assure our families that we share your determination to address these issues with utmost priority," he wrote.

In response to NYCLU's letter, SED spokesperson Keshia Clukey said state-appointed monitors have been in the district for several years. "Over the last several years, Department staff from multiple program offices have worked very closely with the District and the monitors to begin addressing facilities issues because its needs were so great."

Clukey added: "There still is much work to do."

Public funding failures

About 10,500 students attend East Ramapo's 14 public schools. Another 35,000 kids who live within the district go to private schools, mostly yeshivas that serve the Hasidic and Orthodox Jewish community. Both student populations will surely increase this upcoming academic year. In the public schools, new students are most often new immigrants in need of support, from English language help to assistance in overcoming trauma.

Meanwhile, the district's voters often defeat budget plans that attempt to raise the tax levy to fund public education. The ones that do pass at the polls have included scant tax hikes or a freeze to the tax levy, like the 2023-2024 budget plan that passed in June on a re-vote.

Because of a growing immigrant population, public school advocates say, parents whose kids attend the public schools often cannot vote because they aren't U.S. citizens.

A significant portion of the budget, more than 20%, goes toward transportation. While transportation for public and private students is state mandated, East Ramapo offers universal busing, meaning any student who wants a seat on the bus can get one. Every year, the transportation budget goes up by millions.

With the tax levy flat for years now, state-appointed monitors in the district have repeatedly warned of swelling deficits and a degrading education for the children who attend East Ramapo schools.

Politicians weigh in

East Ramapo's latest controversy and long history of trouble have become fodder for contenders in the 2024 Congressional race to represent District 17, which includes all of Rockland and Putnam and parts of Westchester and Dutchess.

Incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Michael Lawler, up for re-election, wrote Gov. Kathy Hochul asking the state to help fix the lead and other building issues in East Ramapo. Pointing to the district's challenges, the Pearl River Republican told Hochul, "it is incumbent on the state to step in and help fund the desperately needed repairs."

East Ramapo graduate and former U.S. Rep. Mondaire Jones asked Hochul to declare a state of emergency in the district and the state Legislature to allocate funding "to end this latest crisis."

Jones, who is seeking the Democratic nomination to run again in CD17, blasted the school board and state Education Department for mismanagement of the district. "Public schools should be symbols of promise — great equalizers of the kind that took me from poverty to the halls of Congress."

When he was in the state Assembly, Lawler introduced a bill that would mandate the state take over transportation funding in school districts where 25% or more of the children attend private schools. East Ramapo is currently the only district that would fit that criteria.

State Sen. Bill Weber, a Suffern Republican who represents the 38th Senate District, now carries the transportation funding bill.

Weber said the district had made a "good start toward making critical upgrades" with some $150 million in federal American Rescue Plan funds the district received in 2021, including $90 million for building repairs.

Nancy Cutler writes about People & Policy for lohud.com and the USA Today Network New York. Reach her at ncutler@lohud.com; follow her on Twitter, Threads and Instagram at @nancyrockland.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Lead contamination in East Ramapo school water remains unsolved