A Feb. 13 leak in a Wilbur Cross classroom.
New Haven’s public school district says it found “no evident deficiencies” in the 30-plus areas of Hillhouse and Wilbur Cross high schools that were the subject of a recent state workplace safety complaint by the city’s teachers union.
All the while, New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) continues to address ongoing condition problems like leaky roofs and cold classrooms at Cross that educators have been speaking up about for months.
That’s the latest with a CONN-OSHA complaint filed in January by New Haven Federation of Teachers (NHFT) President Leslie Blatteau.
The complaint alleged a host of persistent problems with mold, leaks, air quality, and other conditions concerns at New Haven’s two largest high schools.
The state agency gave the city’s public school district until Feb. 10 to conduct its own investigation into the alleged conditions problems.
The district concluded its investigation on Feb. 7, and found “no evident deficiencies” at both Cross and Hillhouse in regards to the subjects of the teachers union’s complaint. NHPS cited several now-complete work order tickets to bolster its findings. The district also described a walk-through of Cross on Jan. 22, where it said nothing was found in the 34 locations mentioned in the initial complaint. The relevant work history cited by NHPS included three roofing concerns resolved, 11 pest concerns resolved, and 20 HVAC concerns resolved between October and January.
In response to the district’s findings, Blatteau said she feels she will have to “agree to disagree with the district that there are no issues when it comes to Cross and Hillhouse and whether or not those places right now are safe for everyone to work and learn.”
She noted that since submitting the OSHA complaint the teachers union has noticed a much higher level of responsiveness to concerns that they relay to the district from educators in all school buildings.
“I recognize that this can’t all be fixed by tomorrow and what we’re really looking for is a level of responsiveness that’s gonna reassure people, and we’re beginning to see that,” she said.
Since OSHA has stepped in as an “intermediary,” Blatteau added, it has encouraged the district to maintain effective communication with the teachers union. She said that next she wants to acknowledge that “indoor temperature is a local public health issue, and NHFT learned that through engaging in the OSHA process as we’re trying to advocate for safe facilities for staff and for students.” She also said she saw HVAC and pest control contractors at several schools last week, which is “a step in the right direction.”
NHPS spokesperson Justin Harmon told the Independent that a meeting between the school district and CONN-OSHA “yielded some good suggestions about ways to keep the union informed about timetables for major projects.”
Blatteau concluded that, while responsiveness to the union’s concerns has increased, she hopes to see the district post clear timelines for “what New Haven plans to do for long term concerns.”
Cross Leaks Continue
Meanwhile, more building problems at Cross have popped up over the last two weeks, including 50-degree classrooms, leaking ceilings, and a now-closed-off wood shop classroom.
Harmon explained that several other maintenance projects are currently in the works, including replacing stair treads, replacing fire doors, upgrading and replacing HVAC units, and replacing the floor in the school’s auditorium and library.
“Taken together, these projects will utilize about $443,500 of the $5.5 million in additional funding provided by the Alders for capital projects this year,” Harmon said.
He said that some rooms — including the wood shop, three second-floor classrooms, and the culinary lab — are all waiting on repair parts for their heating units. An art classroom and the wood shop have additional pending work orders, as well.
In response to yet another leak on Feb. 13 in an English classroom at Cross, Harmon explained that this issue has been difficult to address fully due to the building’s V‑wing roof having solar panels. While the roof, which faces Orange Street, needs further evaluation, Harmon said, “we have been constrained by the solar panels that need to be removed. We have reached out to the ‘owning company’ and the service provider. None have been responsive or helpful.” As a result, the district now has resorted to “sourcing a vender to remove the panels at our own expense so that the roof can be evaluated and repaired.”
The Cross educator whose classroom has been dealing with the frequent and inconvenient ceiling leak noted that the issue remained as of Thursday and has now spread to the hallway and adjacent classroom.
Blatteau concluded that when she received the video of the leak from a Cross staffer, she reported it to the district like usual. This time she was provided with the explanation around the issues with the roof’s solar panels.
She said she remains hopeful of the progress made so far, and hopes for it to continue to act with urgency for buildings to be safe places to work and learn. “This is a legacy we’ve collected from previous leadership,” she said. “What we are living with day to day is the result of bad planning in the past.”
NHPS responses to OSHA complaint.
