Message from Superintendent Dr. Fara Jones
January 18, 2024
Dear Pirate Families,
As you know, all public schools are required to have every potable (drinking and cooking) water source tested for the presence of lead to be in compliance with the Get the Lead Out of School Drinking Water Act of 2022. Our district completed the first round of testing in December, and we have now received that “first draw” report. An independent lab tested more than 300 water sources (which included kitchen sinks, handwashing sinks, dishwashers, water fountains and bottle fillers, ice makers, etc.). The statute dictates that each drinking/cooking water source has lead concentration of less than 5 ppb.
The results of our “first draw” test are:
Board Office/Old Senior High – Five of 6 sources indicated lead in excess of 5 ppb
Industrial Arts Building (Maintenance, IT, HS art and Digital Media) – Five of 17 sources indicated lead in excess of 5 ppb
Transportation facility – The single source did not indicate lead in excess of 5 ppb
Career Center facilities – None of the 13 sources indicated lead in excess of 5 ppb
High School facilities – 14 of 41 sources indicated lead in excess of 5 ppb
Middle School facilities – None of the 49 sources indicated lead in excess of 5 ppb
Elementary School facilities – Four of 73 sources indicated lead in excess of 5 ppb
Primary School facilities – Two of 127 sources indicated lead in excess of 5 ppb
Total – 30 of 327 sources, or 9% of sources, indicated lead in excess of 5 ppb
We feel very fortunate that, through Prop. KIDS, we have been able to open two new schools and completely renovate another in the last 5 years. We certainly would have had more water sources of concern otherwise, as old fixtures and pipes are more likely to contain lead.
So, what’s next?
First, any source that indicated the presence of more than 5 ppb of lead is being labeled and/or disabled today. Our maintenance department is blocking access to any fountains, bottle fillers, cooking water sources, or ice machines that did not pass the “first draw” test. Sinks, spigots, and dishwashers will be labeled “Non-Potable Water, Do Not Drink.” Our staff has been instructed to remind students not to get drinking water from those sinks.
Each drinking water source (fountain, bottle filler) that has been disabled or blocked will, as soon as possible, have a filter certified to remove lead from drinking water installed and be reopened. Where filtering is not an option, alternative water sources will be identified for that area. This may mean using a different faucet for drinking water, or an alternate drinkable water source will be provided as soon as possible.
Each of the sources that did not pass the “first draw” test will be retested as soon as possible to ensure that there were no false positives.
The maintenance department will begin making permanent fixes to the affected water sources, with this work required to be completed by Aug. 1, 2024. Water sources for elementary students (K-5) are, by law, the highest priority. These fixes may include installation of filtration systems, replacement of the sink/faucet/spigot, or complete removal of the source.
We will ensure that our students have access to clean drinking water throughout the day, whether from an alternate fountain/bottle filler or one with a filter installed, or by providing access to bottled water.
The Get the Lead Out of School Drinking Water Act of 2022 has set a very high standard for schools to ensure that children’s drinking water is as free from lead contamination as possible, which is a good thing as lead consumption by children can have lifelong negative consequences. (By comparison, the EPA has set a standard of 15 ppb for public drinking water supplies, where most homes get their water.) The state has set aside $27 million for public schools to remediate lead in drinking water, and the district has been awarded $48,454.07 for our remediation efforts.
While the deadline to complete the remediation process is not until Aug. 1, 2024, we are beginning work immediately with the hopes of completing remediation ahead of that deadline. The safety of our staff and students is our first priority at District 32, and this is no exception. We will provide updates as the remediation process progresses.
If you have questions about this process, please reach out to Assistant Superintendent Craig Hayden at 573-547-7500 Ext. 1201 or chayden@pcsd32.com.
Sincerely,
Dr. Fara Jones