Thermometers are rising and more than 20,000 students in public schools in Plainfield, Trenton, and other districts throughout the state are being sent home early over the next two days. With the pressure of finals in the air, many students and school employees also have to contend with rising classrooms temperatures. Few examples so [...]
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has named asbestos as a priority chemical to be evaluated for risk, yet at the same time, asbestos inspections at schools are being eliminated, supposedly due to budget constraints. The EPA is presented with a tough decision, reminiscent of the movie “Sophie’s Choice,” when a mother arrives at [...]
In kindergarten, when the fire alarm went off, we were told what to do. Line up, follow the exit signs, and walk to our assigned meeting place outside the school. We had an emergency plan in case there was a fire. Now as adults responsible for our families and communities, we find the threats [...]
"In exchange for small-but-overdue salary increases for legislative and judicial staff, Christie is demanding a king's ransom for himself and his inner circle. Under the terms of a plan he's pushing legislators to accept, members of his cabinet would be in line for $34,000 annual raises. Those political appointees could see their salaries skyrocket [...]
Under the golden dome that dominates Trenton’s skyline, Governor Chris Christie recently denounced the deplorable condition of the New Jersey Statehouse. At a hastily convened announcement, Governor Christie bemoaned the quality of building that houses his office. “We have code violations throughout the place that could lead to a tragedy,” Christie told reporters as [...]
Over the past year, the nation has watched a tragedy unfold in Flint, Michigan as an entire community's drinking water was contaminated with lead. Sadly, the problem extends well beyond Flint. In nearly 2,000 communities in every state across the country, tests have confirmed lead in the water coming out of residents' taps. In [...]
Fiercely opposed by a phalanx of public school advocates, even Gov. Chris Christie’s allies are decidedly tepid about his self-proclaimed “Fairness Formula,” his last-ditch attempt to finish his two terms with a bang, capping his relentless efforts to privatize, expand charters and defund New Jersey’s urban school districts. Although the likelihood of it passing is [...]
"With our state in the throes of knock down, drag out fights surrounding competing and different educational funding philosophies, one area of near certain agreement is that all students deserve a safe and healthy learning environment. Passing temperature control legislation and working with school districts to create common sense plans for addressing this increasingly common [...]
With the average age of New Jersey's public schools at more than 50 years old and with many schools dating back to the turn of the 20th century, we are concerned that custodian privatization will have negative ramifications for the quality of our school facilities. "Investing in schools means investing in the personnel that keep [...]
Right in the shadow of the New Jersey Statehouse, the workers were dry cutting the sidewalk concrete, unwittingly putting themselves and the public in danger. Silica exposure impacts thousands of workers; in New Jersey more than 150,000 work in construction, but those who work with glass, pottery, jewelry and even dentistry might be impacted. Full [...]