On Tuesday, taskforce members Ami Mundra, Bri Akuamoah-Boateng, Aparna Ganesh, and Advika Agarwal testified about sustainability, water quality, and hydration stations before the MCPS Board of Education. After communicating about these efforts previously with BoE Member Lynne Harris, they received positive comments from Board members after the public comments portion of the Business Meeting.
You can watch the student comments at this YouTube video at 1:01:09.
On Friday, May 28th, these taskforce members were introduced as new members to the MCCPTA Environmental Health Workgroup. They met with the committee co-chairs and Ms. Lynne Zarate from the MoCo Division of Solid Waste Services, among other local experts, to discuss implementation of the students' demands - an official statement that every MCPS school will receive at least two hydration (water refilling) stations by Fiscal Year 2024.
Why? Hydration stations will reduce plastic waste, save money for schools, improve water quality, and instill sustainable habits in students from an early age.
According to The Sentinel, in the past, BoE VP Patricia O’Neill said that "schools are receiving new water fountains, but that single-use water bottles are needed because parents want water available at all times. An idea to place filled water pitchers on all the lunchroom tables was dismissed due to potential problems with spillage and breaking, she said.”
Plans are underway to meet with County Councilmembers with members of the Workgroup, which is a subcommittee of MCCPTA Health and Wellness. The team of public health and environmental experts, who are also parents of younger MCPS students, have been working on this initiative, among other issues in schools regarding water and air quality, over the past year. Now, the MCR students will bring a new perspective to their work, a young point of view from those directly impacted by the issues that is expected to be valuable in securing an estimated $2 million in funds from the County Council.
In 2020, 9 MCPS high schools were found to have increased levels of lead in drinking water, while workgroup members have concerns about PFAS being unfiltered in drinking stations. (See our interview recording with Maryland Delegate Love about her upcoming work regarding PFAS at the state level.) They report that these issues are so valid after long-term school COVID closures that MCPS is providing free plastic bottles to each school and shutting down water fountains when the 2021-22 school year begins - or rather, as Co-Chair Laura Stewart pointed out, each school that is aware that these bottles are available. Equity around which schools will have access to clean bottled water is a concern this year due to a lack of awareness.
For this reason, the students are considering collaborating with MCCPTA to lead educational campaigns directing schools to ensure their students will have access to the BoE-provided bottled water before the school year starts.
Among other items of discussion at the workgroup meeting, the four students may conduct a separate communications campaign in order to convince schools to set aside some of their own funds towards the installation of hydration stations in their facilities. Many schools have taken the lead on this, and the workgroup members hope to expand awareness among principals and school officials that this is an option while efforts for systemwide funds are still underway.
As Co-Chair Hannah Donart said today, "Summer is the time to push for new legislation to the Council." The MCR taskforce members are excited to make progress regarding this new initiative, which was also mentioned by the newly elected Student Member of the Board Hana O'Looney as one of the issues she hopes to focus on during her term this year.
We will need as much student support as possible - stay tuned for information on how to get involved over the summer, and make sure to testify before the BoE about the sustainability issues important to you. Sign-ups open one week before each meeting at 9am, and the schedule can be found on the MCPS Board of Education website.
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