Which Schools are in the WTC Disaster Zone?

Thousands of children breathed in toxic dust and fumes in lower Manhattan after 9/11. Many of them did so from the supposedly safe confines of their classrooms. Often parents, staff, and administrators learned that they’d been lied to about the safety of the air only after the damage was done.

Like people that lived and worked in lower Manhattan, former lower Manhattan students now qualify for the WTC Health Program’s Survivor Program, which treats community members for their 9/11-linked health conditions at no cost. Many also qualify for the Victim Compensation Fund. In general, the qualifications for students are as follows:

WTC Health Program

• Was enrolled in a NYC public or private school for the 2001/2002 school year.
• Attended school in a building located below Houston Street or within a 1.5 mile radius of Ground Zero. (This includes parts of Brooklyn Heights, among other places.)

VCF

• Was enrolled in a NYC public or private school for the 2001/2002 school year.
• Attended school in a building located below Canal Street in Manhattan
• Has a certified physical health condition from the WTC Health Program.

Public school students seeking proof of presence documents can call the city information line, 311, to access transcripts and letters of confirmation. Let them know you “need to speak to the Department of Education because you are applying to the WTC Health Program or VCF.” Documents are provided at no charge.