Boston Public Schools unveils updated water policy in response to elevated lead levels
The policy, which has yet to be adopted, would stipulate annual testing of all water sources used for drinking, food preparation, or medical services
School officials unveiled a new water policy Wednesday in response to elevated levels of lead found in some Boston Public School water.
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“We revised the policy after receiving feedback from parents and members of the community,” Superintendent Tommy Chang said at a school committee meeting. “You’ll see that there’s much more detail around protocol and how we are communicating these testing results.”
The updated policy, which is still subject to a school committee vote, stipulates annual testing of all water sources used for drinking, food preparation, or medical services in all schools, but does not include classroom or bathroom sinks in any of these schools since they are not supposed to be used for drinking water.
Massachusetts law currently requires each public water system to periodically collect samples from at least two water sources inside at least two different schools, which are selected on a rotating basis. The testing periods vary from every six months to every three years, but Boston is required to test annually.
The proposal also states that a member of the Food Services department should conduct a two-minute cold water flush each day of all faucets in the food preparation area. The district plans to hire an engineer to standardize testing, communications, and manage the water implementation roll out.
Boston Public Schools will continue to use the Department of Environmental Protection and the Environmental Protection Agency standard for public water systems, which says action should be taken if lead levels exceed 15 parts per billion.
The updated policy comes after elevated lead levels were found in a number of schools across the district. Of the 38 schools with active water fountains that were tested, four schools had levels that exceeded 15 parts per billion. As a result, the fountains at those schools were shut down in late April.
In addition, the district found that water fountains with heightened lead levels were turned on prematurely at six schools. The fountains were active anywhere from several hours to three weeks. Two district employees have been placed on administrative leave while officials investigate the circumstances.
The district held two water safety information sessions for families to discuss the issue. School officials also met with city councilors last week on the issue. Chang said in a statement prior to the meeting that school officials were “confident that all active water fountains meet state standards and are fine for students and faculty use.”
The Boston Public Health Commission did not recommend that the district screen all children who might have been exposed to tap water in the schools for lead poisoning. Instead, the commission said in a statement that parents should consult with their child’s medical provider to assess whether their child’s individual risk warrants testing.
The district will hold informational meetings for families at each of the 10 affected schools from June 1 through June 13. Specific details can be found here.
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