“It is unacceptable that 13 school buildings in the East Ramapo School District lack clean drinking water for students, faculty and staff. I am outraged that the health and safety of our children and teachers are not being prioritized. Millions of dollars are set aside each year by the state for testing drinking water for contaminants, yet just a few short miles outside of the city, right here in New York, more than 9,000 children go to school without safe drinking water–this is going on right under our noses. It is irresponsible not to address this issue with only weeks left before children will be back in school. I call on Gov. Hochul to declare a state of emergency and demand local officials investigate and install a new water filtration system to ensure the safety of each school within the district.”