Op-Ed: Why we’re calling for a Green New Deal of Schools

DC high school students have given more than 45 testimonies at recent DC State Board of Education (SBOE) meetings, pushing these sessions past 10 p.m. The impetus? A dream of a greener, more sustainable and healthier future for DC students.

After months of advocacy, research and stakeholder engagement, SBOE unanimously passed SR24-3, “Calling for a Green New Deal for Schools.”

Written by students, the resolution identified the dangers of climate change and urged DC officials to recognize these looming crises and act accordingly. The majority of the students responsible for the resolution are part of the Sunrise Movement, a nationwide, youth-led organization focused on climate justice.

With a growing coalition from across DC - including students form School Without Walls, Anacostia High School, Jackson-Reed High School, Duke Ellington School of the Arts, and BASIS DC Public Charter School - the student activists returned again and again to SBOE meetings and spoke of the importance of confronting climate change-related inequities in the District. By the time of the Jan. 17 vote, the Old Council Chambers was filled with over 75 supporters, identifiable by their “GND4S” stickers.

Coming to the meeting with varying experiences with the climate crisis, many of the students made clear how important the issue was to them personally. One student, for example, grew up in California where her family, friends and neighbors faced relentless wildfires, mudslides, droughts and seemingly limitless climate disasters. “In DC, I see a chance to take action before it is too late,” she said. “This resolution will be a step toward a safer, more knowledgeable and healthier student body, which is the standard that DC Public Schools should be looking for.”

In addition to personal experiences, the students cited research and evidence in their testimonies. “According to the 2022 Environmental Literacy Update Report, only 57 of the 116 DCPS schools are teaching students about air, water, land, resource conservation or health in an environmental context,” one student noted in her December testimony.

As written by the students, the resolution prioritizes the needs of DC Public Schools students while making five reasonable, achievable asks. The demands of the resolution are free and healthy lunches for all; comprehensive climate curricula; sustainable infrastructure in every school; climate disaster plans; and pathways to green jobs.

DC has already taken strides to implement some of these demands. However, what has been done is far from enough, and the students wholeheartedly believe that the implementation of this resolution is a crucial and achievable step to advance climate justice in DC.

The students also dug into the details of existing DC Council legislation, including the Universal Free School Meals Amendment Act of 2023. They found that the bill, as introduced, did not include standards for the procurement of food, and testified to SBOE with recommendations to improve the bill.

DC is the second school district in the country to pass a resolution in support of the Green New Deal for Schools, the first being Boulder, Colorado. Considering SBOE’s limited power, the students are now going to the council and agencies like the Office of the State Superintendent of Education, DCPS and the Department of General Services to share their experiences and recommendations to improve local policies.

At SBOE’s Jan. 17 public meeting, the students said they do not plan to stop until this resolution is implemented in every DCPS school. DC officials should not only take these demands seriously but also use this as an opportunity to promote youth civic engagement.

Read our op-ed via The DC Line

Allister Chang, the Ward 2 representative on the DC State Board of Education, co-introduced the January resolution on a Green New Deal for Schools. Anna Mayer and Zoe Fisher, juniors at School Without Walls High School, are leaders of their school’s Sunrise Movement hub and the citywide group of students fighting for a Green New Deal for Schools.