Silent Killer: How Richmond Public Schools’ Neglect is Affecting the Health of their Students and Faculty

As a kid, I loved attending school in my town, especially elementary school, because I got to learn new subjects and see my friends. Public schools have a place in my life, from my mother who works in the paraprofessional field in Maryland to my sister who does marine biology outreach to students in Newport News. That is one of the reasons educational inequalities hit so hard, especially when 90% of students attend public schools, most children are exposed to these negative experiences. When children are set up to fail from the beginning how can we as a society expect for them to know any different? The one inequality that I focus on this article is healthy problems that stem from lack of maintenance presence in the buildings.

Students in under-resourced schools do not have the privilege to just focus on schooling when they face respiratory complications from black mold in the facilities. It is our job as college students to bring attention to these problems and help create and implement solutions to better the future for young students.

Life Ain't Easy Being Wheezy

In 2023, Richmond was rated by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of Americ a (AAFA) as seventh for being the most challenging city for people with asthma. Members describe how Richmond has a disproportionate rate of asthma death in Black children, with rates at five times the national average. The allowance for this exposure to occur is nothing short of negligence on the schools' part.

He discussed his personal experience seeing the connection between the low quality of RPS classrooms and the respiratory effects this has on students and faculty. They describe the conditions as "the proliferation of mold, uncontrolled and broken HVAC systems, uncontrolled humidity" as students continue to be placed in these unhealthy spaces to learn.

On October 16th, though I didn't attend in person, I could watch the Richmond Public School board meeti ng via livestream. The topic of health and safety in schools persisted, with familiar faces in attendance arguing similar points at the last meeting. Some stated that they felt like representatives spent more time discussing what could and could not be done when teachers coughed in the crowd from the effects of mold exposure. The first test took place in The Thomas C. Boushall Middle School and Fox at Clark Springs Elementary School after complaints from teachers about visib le mold in the classes

. Administration has yet to retest schools and students are expected to attend these schools knowing that they are exposed to toxic levels of mold every day. The lack of recognition from body members declares how important they feel the issue is. During the second meeting in October, doctors made a stance in the schools highlighting the longlasting effects of constant exposure to mold toxicity and humidity.

As members beg for board members to read and address the resolutions sent to them, I am still waiting to see responses from administrations on the steps being taken to protect students and teachers.

Kicking the Can Down the Street

As organizations like the Richmond Education Association continue to be a voice for teachers and students, how can people make active motions to fix this problem? Other members of REA describe first-hand accounts of seeing mold on equipment and exposure to not only black mold but variations of dangerous molds as well. This is not a new discovery in the RVA schools, as the speaker and science teacher in the 4th District of Richmond discussed that testing had been done prior to the meeting but only in a handful of rooms. Richmond Education Association held a rally 4 days after the board meeting for safety in schools for both the HVAC and mold issues and for fire violations in RPS. The statement on the Richmond Education Association states that these unsafe conditions are a sympt om of historic divestment from publi c education for low-income students of color

. The question we need to focus on is how can we protect students and staff that interact in subpar conditions? To see board members continue to push this topic forward without acknowledging the critical outcome if no action is taken speaks volumes.

Richmond has a deep history of segregation and lack of resources for predominantly Black communities, but this is not an isolated event. All of Virginia faces issues with public education because of the wage gap between middle-class and working-class families . From the lack of educational resources to the percentage of underskilled teachers, schools with high poverty rates are affected the most with little representation in decision-making. This disconnect between administration and students and direct staff mirrors how systems stay in power when the ones who have the ability refuse to change it and those who need systematic change have no influence. There needs to be drastic changes to the RPS systems so that current and future students can have the privilege to attend school without worrying about health conditions. The longer administrations stall the process, the more students lose class time and fall behind in classes. Students and faculty are expected to be the trailblazers for any social problems in schools with a lack of support from officials. This typically ends with no progress because those who hold power do not take the request seriously enough to improve conditions.

In moments like this, we can educate ourselves and others about the issues occurring beyond our campus and remind ourselves that we must support groups in Richmond because of our occupation in the city. You can attend school board meetings and educate yourselves, and you can reach out to support groups like the Richmond Education Association organization for any additional information. Because this issue is nation-wide, look at local governments and school boards' involvement in how schools function. Richmond Public Schools are only a microcosm of what is happening nationwide to public schools with low funding due to years of oppressive housing measures. Holding administrations accountable for their disinterest in public education is the first step to addressing such inequalities.

What Can I Do?

We, as UR students, hold a large amount of power and privilege in our positions of attending college at a prestigious university.

Car Dependency is Racist and Classist

As we’ve already discussed, the history of car dependency in the United States has racist roots, with most major interstate highway systems destroying Black, brown, and low income neighborhoods. But while we talk about the racism of car dependency, we speak about it in the past— ignoring the very present car dependency racism that exists to this day. Traffic stops, which serve to police drivers on the road, are also one of the most common ways in which minorities have contact with police officers, leading to profiling, arrests, and even death at a far higher rate than white drivers. Furthermore, creating a car-centric environment without providing any sort of economic assistance to purchase a car or investing in public transportation leaves millions of individuals who can’t afford cars stranded. People of color in the United States are far less likely to own cars, the disparity being the worst in Black communities, which are two times less likely to own cars then the national average. This creates inequitable situations in which racial minorities are quite literally stranded within the vicinity of their own homes, forced to rely on public transportation, which is nationally inconsistent, or simply unable to access resources which might be further away from their house.

Car dependency also creates an “economic trap” in which low income drivers struggle to maintain the upkeep, costs, and necessary repairs that are required to keep their car safe and legal to drive on the roads. Despite low income drivers using various tactics to keep car costs low, vehicle maintenance still remains roughly the same even when accounting for the amount one drives. This creates a devastating phenomenon in which individuals are forced to drive without any alternative or financial assistance, burdening their own pockets for a lifestyle they didn’t choose. And this dynamic doesn’t even account for the elderly, who are incapable of driving after a certain age. What happens to individuals who live in car centric areas when they age? Our society fails to provide an answer, leaving our most vulnerable the most isolated.

Car Dependency is Dangerous

Lastly, car dependency relies on the premise that millions of individuals will drive incredibly powerful machines in a safe and competent manner. Car fatalities remain one of the highest causes of death in the United States each year, with over 40,000 people dying each year in crashes. This doesn’t even factor in the individuals who are injured by car accidents yearly, a number which stretches into the millions. Car dependency isn’t just racist or classist— it’s a phenomenon that is quite literally killing us.

For much of the last century, cars have been equated to freedom. Yet in reality, car dependency exacerbates detrimental systemic problems that plague our society, such as racism, classism, environmental destruction, and premature death. True freedom is not the ability to choose cars, but the ability to select a range of transportation options, whether that be bikes, high speed trains, streetcars, buses, or walking. Without dependency on cars, we gain back our safety, our time, our freedom, and most importantly, our sense of dignity in a democratic society. ***