The purpose of this petition is to ensure that our children receive the education they deserve and succeed in a healthy and conducive learning environment. 

 Brilla public charter schools network serves students and families in the district 7 community of the Bronx. Brilla Veritas Charter school is located in the residential building located at, “600 E 156th Street, Bronx, NY 10454.” Brilla Veritas serves grades K-4. Brilla Veritas is located at the first floor, basement and cellar levels of the residential building. 

On September 2nd 2021, after Hurricane Ida Hit NYC,  Brilla Veritas sent families a blast message on Classtag informing families that Brilla Veritas “sustained flooding and would not be able to open third and fourth grade classrooms.” School was reopened Monday, September 6th, 2021.

On October 26th, 2021, Brilla Veritas flooded once more. 3rd and 4th Grade classes were closed again for the remainder of the week and the children were provided remote instruction. Brilla Veritas welcomed 3rd and 4th graders on Monday, November, 1st 2021. However, some parents decided not to send their children into the building and requested access to remote instruction until we were provided with assurance that the school was safe. This request was denied by administrators at Brilla Veritas. Parents were astounded by the denial, being that the school conveniently granted remote instruction the week prior due to the flooding.

Parents reached out to the principal with concerns over possible mold growth and air quality results due to the constant closures and floods. 

On Monday November 1st, the 3rd and 4th grade parents participated in a Town Hall with Brilla Veritas staff and Board of directors at which point parents voiced their concerns about potential mold at the school. Parents demanded Brilla Veritas conduct a Mold and air quality test. 

On Tuesday, November 2nd, Brilla Veritas sent parents a copy of the ENVIROCHECK  mold investigation report via ClassTag. Parents contacted Envirocheck directly and were able to obtain the original Envirocheck mold investigation report. The comparison in reports provided to us by Envirocheck and Brilla Veritas led us to discover that report provided by Brilla Veritas was missing crucial information and results had been altered. If you would like to receive a copy of the original EnviroCheck report, please comment below so we can forward you the original documents.

On Wednesday, November 3rd Parents contacted the Principal and informed her of the discrepancies between the two mold investigation reports.  That evening,  Brilla Veritas also posted on Classtag ,a letter written by their landlords, CIVIC Builders, admitting to have altered the EnviroCheck Mold Investigation Report provided to Brilla Veritas (which in turn was forwarded to the parents). 

On Thursday, November 4th, parents received notification via Classtag to sign up for an in-person tour of the facility being held on Saturday November 13th. https://form.jotform.com/213075407811147

PARENTS HAVE NOT RECEIVED UPDATED MOLD OR AIR QUALITY TESTING RESULTS. Parents want students to continue their education at Brilla under safe conditions.

The sequence of events have led parents to feel deceived by Brilla Veritas, the board of directors and the landlord, as we truly have a love for the school and the education provided to our children. We are demanding transparency and further MOLD test to be conducted in the school building premises not solely the basement and lower level as we know mold travels in the air. As a result of all these events, Parents are demanding the following...

1) Frequent MOLD testing of the school premises as mold continues to grow if the recommended repairs are not completed. Mold testing should be conducted within 48 hours after any leaks or flooding to confirm there are no potential health hazards throughout the facilities.

2) A neutral representative for the parents, such as a parent member of FIC (Family Involvement Committee) AKA Parent Association, be CCD’d directly on any email from the testing company regarding results of mold and air quality testing.

3)Remote learning for our children until we are guaranteed that the school is safe through updated testing results.

4)The children who have missed school, since November 1st, should be excused of these absences, as they did not attend school due to the hazardous conditions and Civic Builders omission of crucial testing information. We should not be penalized for protecting our children.