Teens Poll Their Peers

The young workers who serve as MassCOSH’s Teens Lead @ Work program Peer Leaders want to see a few changes in Boston Public Schools now that they are back to being in school buildings full time. Our current peer leaders have set their sights on breakfast/lunch and classroom temperatures/ventilation and are surveying their peers to get their takes and more information on the topics.

Most Boston Public School classrooms lack air conditioning and are even without ventilation systems, which can create hot, unhealthy conditions and help spread the virus that causes COVID-19. Recently, school administrators stated that they will be installing air conditioning systems in every classroom, and TL@W is set on holding them to that promise. Part of their survey polls their peers to count how many classrooms have air conditioning ready to operate if it becomes too hot. The effort is part of TL@W’s broader plan to fight for ‘no test days,’ Boston Public School policy that would grant students exemptions from taking important tests if their classrooms’ heat index exceeds 85 degrees. Public school students are put at an academic disadvantage when forced to take tests in hot classrooms that private school students would never be asked to test in.

Our Peer Leaders also want to know if students are being provided an adequate lunch break and if their schools’ menus are meeting the needs of students. TL@W’s survey can be found here and they would appreciate any efforts to share it with Boston Public School families. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSehZlsbqGfGXeGLl3WIvmRpAX_EWrDtCWgaPXP-Fz-nMHLEtw/viewform