Malden High students press city leaders on PFAS, lead outreach, recycling and climate literacy

Student members and alumni of Malden High School’s Youth Action Collaborative presented projects to the Malden City Council highlighting local water safety and environmental education efforts and asking the city to partner on outreach.

Tenzin, a junior presenting for the Toxics Team, said, “PFAS is a dangerous chemical that is found in all our bodies. It is known as a forever chemical because it cannot be broken down,” and urged support for a statewide ban on PFAS in children’s products via a petition accessible through a QR code the students circulated.

Alumni supports and YEC members described a separate lead-outreach project focused on renters and vulnerable households. The students said they had considered direct testing partnerships but noted cost and insurance barriers; instead they developed flyers, a building registry concept and a door‑knocking outreach plan. They also asked the council for access to the city’s lead‑pipe replacement construction schedule so volunteers can coordinate outreach and distribution of water filters for pregnant people and households with young children.

On waste and recycling, students reported baseline data from 10 classrooms and described a poster campaign inside Malden High School aimed at improving recycling habits; they plan to collect follow-up data in two weeks and invited the public to a longer presentation on June 2.

A Love for Kids Club presentation tied literacy to climate education and requested parents sign a petition supporting a K–8 climate literacy bill in Massachusetts. The students said the city event will combine story‑reading for children with a planting workshop and a petition drive for permanent curriculum changes.

Councilors responded with praise and offers of help. Councilor McDonald said she had visited the students’ program and noted the council’s recently passed rental registry grew in part from conversations with groups like Clean Water Action and the Youth Action Collaborative. “I think we can work on those. I’m going to make sure I sign these petitions,” McDonald said. Councilor Taylor and others described the presentations as thoughtful and practical, and the council encouraged students to share materials for possible use by city communications and outreach programs.

Next steps the students requested include city collaboration on outreach flyers and permission to access construction schedules related to lead‑service‑line replacement; the council indicated staff and relevant departments would follow up.