PPS (Portland, OR, school district) 'regrets' not telling parents about lead in school water
Cross-posted in GD.
Elevated Lead Levels Found in Water at Two Portland Public Schools
http://www.wweek.com/news/2016/05/26/elevated-lead-levels-found-in-water-at-two-portland-public-schools/
"Tests at Creston and Rose City Park elementary schools showed lead levels that exceed federal standards, according to an email sent to members of the Portland School Board on Wednesday night.
The testing dates as far back as two months ago, The Oregonian first reported Thursday.
Of the 56 fountains and sinks used for drinking water at Creston, six came back with elevated levels of lead.
Another eight came back with elevated lead levels at Rose City Park. The Rose City Park tests show three sinks and fountains had lead levels at or slightly above 30 parts per billion, according to a report district officials made available to parents.
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PPS 'regrets' not telling parents about lead in school water
http://www.kgw.com/news/health/tests-finds-lead-in-water-at-2-portland-public-schools/217905843
"PORTLAND, Ore. - The Portland school district says tests have found high levels of lead in drinking water at two schools.
The district told KGW that elevated lead levels were found in six of 56 drinking fountains and other water sources that were tested this spring at Creston K-8.
Meanwhile, tests at its Rose City Park campus this spring also found lead levels above federal standards at eight of 36 fountains or sinks. Parents had requested the tests.
On Friday, Portland Public Schools sent a letter to parents about the lead tests and said it "regrets not having notified families and staff as soon as the tests indicated that there were elevated levels of lead."
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Portland Finds Lead In Water At 2 Schools, Plans More Tests
http://www.opb.org/news/article/oregon-portland-lead-water-school-rose-city-park-creston/
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My kid attends Rose City Park, which was just reopened a few years ago. How the district thought it was fine to open an old building without testing the water is simply bizarre. You test the water when you buy a house, FFS. What the press doesn't point out is that this took parent advocacy of immense proportions to get this testing moving.
I admit that I'm glad I send my kid to school with a water bottle, even though it was not because I worried about such things. It sucks for people who can't afford to do the same.
F-ing PPS!!!! Way to send out damage control e-mails after the press finally got on the story, and on the Friday afternoon before Memorial Day weekend.
= new reply since forum marked as read
"Portland Superintendent Carole Smith apologized Friday for allowing students and teachers at two schools continue to drink tainted water after tests showed unsafe levels of lead.
Portland Public Schools spokeswoman Christine Miles told The Oregonian Thursday that school employees "immediately" cut off access to water from drinking fountains and sinks at Rose City Park and Creston schools when water samples turned up unacceptably high levels of lead.
But Smith acknowledged Friday that workers did not turn off water from fixtures shown to be emitting lead or warn students, employees and visitors not to drink it. Instead, they took steps to repair and replace plumbing but allowed the tainted water to flow as usual in the meantime.
At Rose City Park, that meant students were free to drink lead-laced water for eight school days after district officials knew about the toxic results.
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This Superintendent has been deceitful to parents from the word go. It is time for her to go.
