Water and Drug Problems in New Brunswick Schools, Research Paper Example

New Brunswick is a city in Middlesex County. The region is widely known for its ethnic diversity. It has numerous medial facilities and educational institutions. However, there have been identifications of threating issues that significantly affect the schools in the area. One of them is lead contamination in the water utilized by the students for purposes such as drinking. Another problem is the prevalence of students using drugs including opium and heroin. The matters pose serious health concerns that adversely affect the well-being of students in the schools, which may contribute to them not attending classes and impacting their education. The paper aims at investigating and highlighting the crucial issues that may affect New Brunswick region over the next five years with the aid of relevant material that depicts the situation in the schools. It will primarily focus on the two agendas contamination of water with lead and drug problems. If the two issues are not adequately managed promptly with the implementation of effective strategies, the students may be significantly affected leading to poor attendance to the educational institutions in the town.

One of the primary sources is by Jack Murtha titled “City Responds to Concerns about Water in Rutgers Village Neighborhood.” In the material, the author discusses the water issues that the town faces such as discoloration, low pressure, and the possibility of lead being detected in the water in Rutgers Village located in New Brunswick. Furthermore, the author highlights how matters affect the daily lives of individuals, especially children regularly. The discoloration in the water proves that resource is contaminated and it is not clean, depicting it may contain various materials that may be harmful to one’s health. Besides, low pressure leads to a reduction in the supply of water to multiple regions in Rutgers Village. Most of the residents experience water shortage which hinders the people from conducting a variety of activities. Therefore, the individuals are forced to buy two or three of the five-gallon jugs for their water dispenser each week. Another primary issue that the area has been facing for a while is the detection of lead in the water, making it appear rusty brown. The author states that the situation has been going on and off over the years and the people use bottled water for everything from pasta to coffee. The accumulation of rust leads to the destruction of the coffee machine, leading to most people purchasing the equipment regularly (Murtha 2). The remark is by a resident of the village depicting that the water supplied in the area is not adequate to cook or make coffee. Moreover, the people have to buy bottled water to use of coffeemakers as it does not damage compared to the tap water supplied. The water is not only hazardous to their health but also their machines. The individual further states that it is better for the children to drink bottled water rather than tap water, which she refers to as toxic (Murtha 2). The test conducted on water supplied in New Brunswick schools revealed that it contains lead. Therefore, the students were advised not to drink the water. Hence, if there will be no improvement in the water situation in the province, the people may no longer rely on water supplied through taps. Instead, the residents will buy bottled water.

The report “Excessive Lead in New Brunswick School Water” portrays and describes how four schools in the region tested water samples with excessive levels of head, but the results of the examination were kept hidden for a month. The outcomes were to be published on the district’s website before the beginning of the school year but were not. The findings were not made accessible to the public since they would raise serious concerns (Staff Report 1). From the results obtained it is risky that an issue of lead contamination which can affect the children and staff is kept hidden. The deed possesses a risk to the individuals in schools as there is no precaution on the matter. Moreover, the results received from various water sources revealed that approximately nine percent of the water exceeded the action limit for lead (Staff Report 2). It shows that there is a considerable risk to the children and the staff in the schools and the matter should not be ignored or hidden as it poses a threat to their wellbeing. From the incident, the lack of proper implementation may be noted as public corruption of the workers failing to notify the authorities on the results of the water supplied in the area.

The article by Daniel Munoz titled “Four Water Sources with High Levels of Lead being Replaced; School officials Said,” shows that the water in various schools in the region was tested. Nevertheless, the results revealed high levels of lead in the kitchen and fountains of the facility. The outcomes raised concerns since lead is a toxic element that may cause short-term health conditions and long-term illnesses (Munoz 1). Therefore, if the levels of lead are not managed, the students and staff face a health risk that may adversely affect them. The primary source of the lead is from the corrosion of pipes in older buildings (Munoz 1). The town is old. Thus, the people experience mold and destroy in the pipes which transport the water supply. It is necessary to test the water frequently to ensure that the levels of lead in the water are noted. Within the next five years, the schools would have been able to identify if the water is safe or not. Additionally, there is need for the city to lay new pipes to replace the old ones to ensure safe water free from rust and lead contamination is delivered to different parts of the city.

Nick Muscavage deliberates on the matters and concerns that arose after the water was tested. The state regulates institutions to conduct testing once after every six years, but New Brunswick school test the water annually to ensure the water is safe for students. Moreover, in an examination conducted it was determined that twenty-three foundations contained lead of approximately fifteen parts per billion (Muscavage 1). From the results collected, it is evident that there is enough lead in the water to cause harm to the student. Moreover, after obtaining the outcomes, a re-test was conducted to ensure that the results were accurate. The fixtures revealed the presence of lead and most of them were before the start of the school (Muscavage 1). From the results, if the educational facilities were not going to fix the issue, it would be a huge issue that would affect the students. Nonetheless, through the testing, the schools were able to adjust some fixtures to make sure that the water the students drunk was safe. The approaches reveal that in the next five years, the schools in the region would be able to provide clean water to the students that are free from lead. By regularly checking the water, the safety of the water is ensured.

The other issue in the town is drug use among students. Heroin use is prevalent in the city as depicted by Patti Verbanas. In the article, “Tracking Opiate Addiction in New Brunswick,” the author reveals that a survey conducted enabled people to understand better the life of an addict (Verbanas 2). Opiate use is a huge issue, and it was mainly identified through the study as the people involved in the substance abuse gave honest feedback. Besides, in the United States, opioid addiction is one of the leading causes of death (Verbanas 2). This shows that most people have access to the drug. Furthermore, Kaila Boulware describes a vigil that occurred in the area for the commemoration of an individual that lost his life due to addiction. During the event, people who were recovering from substance abuse shared their experiences to raise awareness. It was revealed that in the state most people die from drug abuse compared to other causes of death such as gun violence (Boulware 1). Most of the people in the region overdose themselves but do not get adequate treatment. Moreover, there have been different initiatives developed by various educational facilities to provide housing for students that are recovering from substance abuse (Boulware 1). It is an effective strategy that ensures that the people are struggling to recover from an addition recover. There also campaigns which make the people aware of the adverse effects of drug use. With the implementation of such strategies the students become informed and that addicted recover from substance use.

The campaign of students saying no to drugs has been effective in educating students on the use of drugs and violent behavior. The primary purpose of the initiative is to ensure that the individuals live free from negative influences (TAPINTO 1). The organization has been in the city for the last twenty-five years and has performed a recommendable job. Moreover, it is fundamental for police officers as they deal with drugs daily. The students engaged in the program are taken through a series of activities that enables them to identify that there are other essential actions apart from engaging in drug use and abuse (TAPINTO 1). With the continuation of the program over the five years, the students will be more aware of refraining from the use of the substance. Instead, ensure the health and safety of others in the community. There have been reports of street fires that have been undetermined. According to O’Donnell, a fire destroyed a home leading students and their families not having access to food or clothing (1). There has been no evidence that has been drawn to have caused the fire.

Jack Murtha depicts the strategies employed in ensuring that the number of overdoses and deaths do not occur. There have been numerous deaths that have led to the cause of action (Murtha 1). Each person has the freedom to do what they want, but the individuals dealing with the drugs need to be arrested. Additionally, the users have to be taken to rehabilitation centers (Murtha 2). Through the provision of treatment and facilities to the addicts, they can recover from the dependence on drugs. There is a lot of costs incurred by trying to fix the lives of addicts alone. The authorities need to work harder to arrest the dealers and get them off the streets. On the other hand, numerous people have been detained with cases connected to the extensive use of drugs. However, there have been issues that raise concern on the matter as there is no proper legal action taken against the offenders, especially those who are part of the law enforcement. Charlie Kratovil revealed that a police officer stole cash and heroin from the evidence, but the prosecutor remained silent. The cop tried hard to avoid sentence despite being the one who kept most of the criminals behind bars (Kratovil 1). The town faces the issue of authorities committing crimes, most of which are undetected. Therefore, they are the primary source of drugs in the streets that sell the substances to addicts promoting the usage of the drugs among the students. Nonetheless, the prosecutor failed to notify the court that the individual has stolen heroin (Kratovil 1). It shows that the person is unethical as he does not perform his duties properly and covers a lie for the police officer. This shows there is an underlying issue in the authorities by the individuals not caring on the safety of the public. Hence, there is need for the employees to be advised to remain ethical in their duties. Any individuals that are involved in misconduct should be face severe punishment to discourage any acts in the future.

In conclusion, New Brunswick schools face serious issues that affect the students and the staff. The leading matters are contamination of the water with lead and widespread use of drugs such as opioid and heroine. For the water contamination problem, the schools have ensured that they conduct test annually to ensure that the water is safe for drinking. Moreover, for education facilities that the water has been contaminated, the students and staff are provided with bottled water. For the issue on drugs, the city has formed campaigns aimed in proving the lives of addicts. The authorities have also been encouraged to perform their duties by arresting drug dealers and presenting their work ethically. Therefore, in the next five years, drug use in the city will reduce, and contamination of water will be managed.

Work Cited

Boulware, Kaila. “Candlelight Vigil at Rutgers Remembers Those Lost to Overdoses.” https://newbrunswicktoday.com, November 14, 2014.

Kratovil, Charlie. “County Prosecutor Quiet About Cop Who Stole Drugs from Evidence.” https://newbrunswicktoday.com, April 26, 2018.

Munoz, Daniel. “Four water sources with high levels of lead being replaced, school officials said.” https://www.tapinto.net/towns/new-brunswick, October 11, 2017.

Murtha, Jack. “City Responds to Concerns About Water in Rutgers Village Neighborhood.” https://tapintonewbrunswick.net, April 09, 2019.

Murtha, Jack. “Fighting New Brunswick’s Heroin Problem.” https://tapintonewbrunswick.net, January 24, 2017.

Muscavage, Nick. “New Brunswick public schools test positive for lead in water.” https://www.mycentraljersey.com/, September 14, 2018.

O’Donnell, Chuck. “Cause of George Street Fire Declared ‘Undetermined.’ https://www.tapinto.net/towns/new-brunswick/articles/cause-of-george-street-fire-declared-undetermined, March 29, 2019.

Staff Report. “Excessive lead in New Brunswick school water.” http://njtoday.net/, September 16, 2018.

TAPINTO New Brunswick Staff. “New Brunswick Students Say “NO” to Drugs Through D.A.R.E.” https://www.tapinto.net/towns/new-brunswick, May 30, 2018.

Verbanas, Patti. “Tracking Opiate Addiction in New Brunswick.” https://news.rutgers.edu, September 26, 2016.