2 big steps forward for kids
FREE INTERNET FOR STRUGGLING PHILLY FAMILIES
Thousands of families breathed a sigh of relief this week as the Philadelphia School District announced a plan to provide free internet access for 35,000 low-income households, just weeks before the start of school which will be entirely online.
When the District was forced to shut down in March due to the pandemic, efforts to provide online instruction were stymied by the lack of devices and connectivity for thousands of lower income students, prompting PCCY and other advocates to push for meaningful solutions to bridge the gaping digital divide disproportionately affecting Black and Brown children.
“Brokering this partnership to tackle and overcome the myriad of connectivity challenges students faced last spring is remarkable and will make a world of difference for students in this city,” PCCY’s executive director Donna Cooper said at this week’s announcement. “There is a great deal more to be done to make virtual instruction meaningful, but it all begins with dependable connectivity, reliable internet access with reasonable speed.”
For the next two years, some families will receive free broadband access through Comcast while others will be able to access the internet through T-Mobile hot spots, according to the City’s $17 million plan.
While the plan is a major step forward, it only draws attention to the depths of the larger issue of which this is only a symptom: In this day and age, internet connectivity is as much a necessary utility as water, gas, and electricity. During the pandemic, the use of telemedicine, online financial services, and virtual instruction for school children have reached extraordinary levels and the trend is unlikely to reverse.
LEAD PAINT LAWSUITS MOVE FORWARD
A major ruling against the paint industry brings Delaware County ever closer to their day in court, bringing hope to families and health advocates desperate to protect children from toxic lead paint.
In a precedent-setting ruling, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit unanimously upheld the dismissal of the lawsuit filed by Sherwin-Williams against Delaware County. The paint giant hoped to block any litigation from counties seeking justice for the harm caused by their toxic product.
Montgomery and Lehigh Counties also scored a victory in their suits against the paint industry recently when the U.S. District Court sent their cases back to each county’s court of common pleas, rejecting the industry bid to have those suits dismissed on the federal level.
While the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development recently announced $275 million in lead hazard reduction grants, the figure doesn’t come close to addressing the magnitude of the problem, especially considering the $1.15 billion ruling by the California Supreme Court in 2018 for paint companies to pay for lead removal in homes in just that state alone.
Thanks to PCCY supporters and advocates across Philadelphia, the city’s groundbreaking new lead poisoning prevention law takes effect in October. In addition to being the most protective law in the nation that will save thousands of children from the lifelong consequences of lead poisoning, it’s also the gold standard for jurisdictions desperate to stem the deadly tide of childhood poisonings, primarily from toxic paint embedded within walls that are released as cracks form in the walls of aging or neglected homes and buildings.
Meanwhile the Delaware County Lead Poisoning Prevention Coalition, lead by PCCY, continues its outreach campaign to connect low-income families to two programs that make testing and remediation easily accessible. Funding is limited—find more information HERE.
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