No one could figure out what the mysterious substance in my classroom was — that’s when I contacted the UFT for help.
I’ve been a math teacher at Susan Wagner HS for nine years. Around October 2018, there was black goo coming from the bulletin board in the back of my classroom. There was construction, including brick pointing, being done outside the room, but the construction workers had no idea what the black substance was.
The construction workers returned the next day with a supervisor of construction, and still no one could figure out what it was. That’s when I contacted the chapter leader at my school, Lillian Palladino.
Lillian promptly called the UFT Health and Safety Department. An industrial hygienist from the union came within the week and took samples of the goo and paint in my classroom. She was really thorough — she tested the interior and exterior surfaces as well as the window frames and other parts of the classroom. The union tested the goo to make sure it wasn’t toxic. It wasn’t; they suspected it might be tar.
The report from the UFT Health and Safety Department recommended sealing off the construction area to help improve the environment in my classroom, and the school complied immediately. Now the construction area has scaffolding to seal off the area where the construction workers are working. The report also recommended a humidifier for my classroom, which the school purchased.
The goo is gone.
The union resolved the issue so fast. It was very impressive.
Lauren Friedman is a teacher at Susan Wagner HS on Staten Island.
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