The New York City Senate and Assembly have passed the SIGH act, prohibiting the construction of new schools near major roadways. The act, named The Schools Impact by Gross Highways Act, aims to protect school-age children from air pollution. Under this law, the commissioner of education for the city will not be able to approve the plans for the construction of any new schoolhouse within 500 feet (150 meters) of a controlled-access highway unless the commissioner determines that space limitations are so severe that there is no other site to erect such new schoolhouse.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) warns against the health impacts of roadway traffic. People who live, work or attend school near major roads appear to have an increased incidence and severity of health problems associated with air pollution exposure, including higher rates of asthma, asthma attacks, and impaired lung development in children. According to data from the home search platform Localize.city, there are currently 244 public schools within 500 feet of major highways, some of which were recently built. The SIGH act also recommends measures of protection for existing schools already within the 500 feet limit, such as installing HVAC systems for improved air quality indoors, insulation for noise reduction, and limiting outdoor activities during peak traffic hours.
When parents debate how to rank their child’s pre-K programs or elementary schools, they often pay attention to the quality of the teaching, what kinds of art and enrichment are available and whether there’s a nice outdoor playground. They might not pay attention to hidden hazards of air quality, even though pollution could have a big impact on their children’s ability to learn. - Liat Halpern, an urban planner at Localize.city.
A recent New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) analysis reveals that approximately one-third of New York’s students go to school near a major highway. Around 80 percent of the state’s students who attend these schools are students of color, and 66 percent are low-income. The American Lung Association points out that one of the significant reasons respiratory illnesses are so prevalent in communities of color is the proximity of those communities to producers of hazardous air pollutants, such as major roadways.
The SIGH act will take effect next July, succeeding the date upon which it will become law by being approved by the state’s governor. Advocates at the NYCLU have also begun working on SIGH Act II, which will prevent the construction of highways near existing schools.
