Lawsuit Targets NYC Schools After Student Suffers Lead Poisoning

The child, who is nonverbal, attended Classroom 551 at Building X046 in the Bronx for thirty hours a week. By winter 2025, his mother observed alarming behavioral shifts, including uncharacteristic aggression and a compulsion to chew on walls. A medical evaluation in January 2026 confirmed blood lead levels high enough to trigger a medical emergency and six days of intensive chelation therapy.

Subsequent testing by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene revealed that 16 surfaces within the classroom contained lead-based paint at or above legal action levels. While the DOE had identified lead in the same building in 2019, those inspections were limited to the first and second floors, leaving the fifth-floor classroom unexamined for years. An analysis suggests a broader systemic failure: classrooms serving students with disabilities in District 75 were inspected at half the rate of general education classrooms in 2025.

Reuven S. Frankel, counsel for the family, argued that the city’s most vulnerable students face the highest risks due to inconsistent oversight. The complaint asserts claims of negligence, seeking compensatory damages as the family navigates the long-term impacts of the exposure. The Department of Education has yet to file a formal response to the litigation.