In New York City over 1,800 elementary public school classrooms had hazardous levels of lead paint, based on a 2019 inspection done by the Department of Education. How does lead in schools impact the school community and who is most impacted? Who is responsible for monitoring the impact of lead in schools?
In Winter 2020, CUP collaborated with Teaching Artist April Wen and students at the International High School for Health Sciences to peel back the problem with lead paint in NYC Schools. To investigate, students tested sites throughout their school to monitor lead levels, interviewed medical professionals and community stakeholders working on the issue, and created stop-motion videos to process their findings.
The group gathered what they learned and created the video Peel It Back to teach others about how to prevent lead poisoning and what they can do if lead is impacting their school or community.
Check out the video below!