New York State Assemblyman Lester Chang issued a letter on the 13th urging the New York City Department of Education and the School Construction Authority to immediately intervene in addressing serious health and safety issues at Public School 176 Ovington School on 69th Street and 12th Avenue in Brooklyn. These issues include potential asbestos exposure, deteriorating building structures, and poor air quality.
Chang pointed out that several parents and students have reported increasingly severe environmental hazards at the school, with students exhibiting respiratory symptoms consistent with asbestos exposure. Some have even been referred to pulmonologists for examinations. He stated, “Children are reporting symptoms, parents are deeply concerned, yet the response from the education authorities is grossly inadequate. We cannot tolerate bureaucratic negligence putting students and staff at risk.”
According to the detailed list in Chang’s letter to various city agencies, P.S. 176 faces the following problems: significant dust accumulation leading to poor air quality, rodent infestation in classrooms, students experiencing respiratory symptoms consistent with toxic exposure, asbestos removal operations near children’s activity areas without proper safety protocols, visible water stains, ceiling leaks, and aging infrastructure, lack of transparency or timely communication from school leadership, causing worry.
Citing an emergency notice dated April 14, 2025, Chang mentioned that multiple classrooms at the school are undergoing asbestos abatement work. He also referenced a report by the City Comptroller on April 9 of the same year, which criticized the Department of Education and the School Construction Authority for failing to comply with the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) regulations. He emphasized that this situation is unacceptable and that the health, safety, and peace of mind of students, educators, and families must be top priorities.
To regain community trust, Chang requested the immediate implementation of the following specific actions by the city government: conducting a comprehensive environmental assessment of P.S. 176, publicly disclosing all asbestos testing, abatement records, air quality test results, and staff training certifications, installing real-time air monitoring equipment in affected areas, communicating risks and progress to parents and staff in multiple languages, creating a detailed timeline for repair and risk management plans, and holding open briefing sessions to engage directly with the community.
He stressed that if the city government does not provide a full response in the short term, he will escalate the matter to the state and federal levels, considering legal actions to ensure accountability from relevant agencies. “This is a test of leadership and responsibility. We cannot allow the health and safety of children to become sacrificial victims of bureaucratic neglect,” Chang said.
Chang’s letter was addressed to Melissa Aviles-Ramos, Superintendent of Education for New York City, John Shea, Executive Director of the School Construction Authority, Elizabeth Culkin, Principal of P.S. 176, Nina Kubota, President of the School Construction Authority, and David Pretto, District Director of Community Education Council 20. He also spoke online at the CEC20 Community Education Council meeting on the evening of May 14, explaining the asbestos contamination concerns at P.S. 176 and stating that his office is actively seeking more accurate information.
At the meeting, representatives from various elected officials expressed their concerns and support. A representative from State Senator Chen Hsueh-li’s office attended, offering to listen to parents’ concerns and providing contact information. A representative from the Public Advocate’s Office in Brooklyn noted that their team is collaborating with the community to monitor developments and, although no clear response has been given yet, they encourage the public to continue voicing their opinions. The Brooklyn Borough President’s office representative expressed concerns about the school’s situation and pledged close collaboration with the Department of Education and the community to ensure student safety.
Andres Juarez, former Chair of the Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) at P.S. 176, emphasized the community’s commitment to the health and safety of students and teachers, condemned the school administration’s lack of transparency regarding potential hazards, and urged the school and education authorities to take responsibility.
Several parents used the meeting’s comment feature to express dissatisfaction and concerns about the current situation at the school. Some parents accused the principal of being indifferent to students with asthma, offering only “change classrooms” as a solution. Others pointed out deliberate inconveniences in the scheduling of the second meeting by the school, expressing concerns about asbestos exposure, construction leading to windows that cannot be opened, bird droppings under scaffolding, and hygiene issues in the playground. Some questioned the school’s meeting transparency, criticized the lack of honesty, and called for the replacement of the current principal. Others highlighted the rights of students and teachers to ask questions and receive complete answers without facing suppression or retaliation.
As of last night (May 14), the New York City Department of Education and the School Construction Authority had not responded to Epoch Times’ request for comments.