New York State’s Schools For The Disabled Urge Governor Hochul To Reinstate Funding

The 4201Schools Association, which represents 11 schools serving children who are blind, deaf, and severely physically disabled, announced that a letter was delivered to Governor Hochul requesting that $2 million be reinstated in her Executive Budget before the 30-day amendment deadline on March 1.

The Association’s 11 member schools, which are located in Erie, Monroe, Westchester, Bronx, Kings, Queens, Nassau, and Suffolk counties, support nearly 1,400 students across the state. All of the schools rely on the state’s investment in growth to meet the increasing needs of the student population served and to retain specially trained and qualified teachers, clinicians, and other staff.

“Our schools were extremely disappointed that Governor Hochul has proposed a massive funding increase to public school districts while reducing our operational budget by $2 million. Our children deserve every opportunity available to students attending public schools. We’re urging the Governor to reconsider her proposal during the 30-day amendment period, and make our schools whole,” said Dr. Bernadette Kappen, chair of the 4201 Schools Association and executive director of The New York Institute for Special Education.

The 4201 Schools Association represents 11 schools located in Erie, Monroe, Westchester, Bronx, Kings, Queens, Nassau, and Suffolk counties. The schools support nearly 1,400 students who are blind, deaf, and severely physically disabled from across New York State, and are nationally recognized for their expertise and achievement.

—Submitted by the 4201 Schools of New York State

Epa Awards Grant To Cuny Jamaica For Pollution Study

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced $21,410,211 in grant funding to 16 institutions for community-based research to examine how climate change may compound adverse environmental conditions and stressors for vulnerable populations in underserved communities. EPA Region 2 has three organizations slated to receive $4 million in grant funding from this total.

The environmental and health effects of climate change are far reaching. Some communities are more vulnerable because they already face greater exposure to pollutants and lack the resources to respond to and cope with environmental stressors. These communities may be more likely to suffer sustained or even permanent damage from the impacts of climate change, further worsening health disparities. Additionally, children, older adults, and people with disabilities or pre-existing health conditions may be more susceptible.

These grants will support research projects that will use community-based participatory research approaches that aim to empower the partnering underserved communities with science-based resilience-building solutions to protect their most vulnerable residents. The grants are provided as part of the EPA’s Cumulative Health Impacts at the Intersection of Climate Change, Environmental Justice, and Vulnerable Populations/Lifestages: Community-Based Research for Solutions funding opportunity. The following institution in New York is receiving an award:

City University of New York – York College, Jamaica, New York, Studying Air Pollution-Health-Climate Interactions for People of Color in Southeast Queens, NY: A CommunityBased Project

City University of New York is receiving an award $1,344,622 for Studying Air Pollution-Health-Climate

Interactions for People of Color in Southeast Queens, NY under a Community-Based Project.

CUNY works with underserved communities in Southeast Queens near multiple solid waste treatment and transport facilities. Employing community-participatory research to empower the communities with information that can be used to inform state/local decision makers and city planners for mitigative actions. Poor air quality, whether outdoors or indoors, can negatively affect the human respiratory and cardiovascular systems. Outdoor ground-level ozone and particle pollution can have a range of adverse effects on human health. Current levels of ground-level ozone have been estimated to be responsible for tens of thousands of hospital and emergency room visits, millions of cases of acute respiratory symptoms and school absences, and thousands of premature deaths each year in the United States.

—Submitted by The EPA