Hundreds of concerned parents and school community members joined a virtual forum Monday to discuss Delaware’s rollout of the statewide testing for lead in schools’ water sources, expressing frustration with the state’s lack of communication to the public.
The roughly two-hour meeting attracted 400 people who pressed state officials for clarity on how the state’s “missteps” occurred and what state officials were doing to renew confidence in its lead testing program.
Delaware department officials, including Department of Education Secretary Mark Holodick, accepted responsibility for the confusion and haphazard approach the state took with the initial sampling efforts, and pledged to do better.
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Here are eight takeaways from Monday night’s forum:
1. Schools must shut off fixtures with lead levels of 7.5 ppb or more
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has instructed Delaware schools to shut off all fixtures that at some point came back with lead levels higher than 7.5 parts per billion. State officials say the lowered threshold is a “project-based” decrease out of “an abundance of caution” while they work with the EPA to adjust Delaware’s testing and communication protocols.
2. Steps schools have taken to address lead remains unclear
Remediation of elevated levels of lead varies by school and depends on several factors, including the extent of the contamination and what the source may be. Some schools may implement flushing protocols or install filters on consumption points, but other situations may require pipe replacement, which is more costly.
STATE TAKES RESPONSIBILITY:Delaware officials admit to ‘missteps’ in not communicating high lead levels in school water supplies
While state officials have assured the public that schools have followed the latest instructions, there is no public tracking of those efforts and not all schools have provided public updates on their remediation efforts. They’re working to include information on where and how schools are remediating elevated levels of lead on the health department’s website.
3. Lead levels don’t meet ‘catastrophic’ threshold for universal screening
Health and social services department Secretary Molly Magarik said the lead levels detected in water sources at Delaware schools were not high enough to warrant lead screening for students and staff exposed to the contaminant. It would have to be a crisis “on par with Flint, Michigan” to require lead screening, she said.
WHAT TO KNOW:How lead gets into drinking water and can harm you
“There is not a widespread concern at a population health level that students have been exposed to catastrophic lead levels that universal testing and screening would be recommended,” Magarik said.
That doesn’t mean parents shouldn’t screen children for elevated blood lead levels if they’re concerned about exposure, she said, adding that it should be a discussion with family doctors and pediatricians.
4. How to access lead screening if you don’t have a primary doctor
Mobile units initially deployed in each of the three Delaware counties to help expand testing and vaccination for the COVID-19 pandemic have expanded its services to include lead screening for children.
State health officials also recommended those with limited or no health insurance utilize the state health centers, information that can be found on the state health department’s website.
5. Long-term, regular monitoring of school water quality planned
The latest rounds of water sampling in schools marks the first time Delaware ever conducted statewide testing of school water sources and aimed to provide a broad picture of potential avenues for lead exposure in schools. Districts can expect to conduct regular sampling going forward.
PREVIOUS:Elevated levels of lead detected in water sources at 47 Delaware schools
The Delaware General Assembly passed legislation earlier this year requiring schools perform annual assessments on water and air quality in its buildings, and publicly share that information on the state health department’s website.
6. Childcare centers could be next for testing water for lead
The $204,000 EPA grant Delaware received to perform testing for lead in drinking water initially aimed to fund sampling at schools statewide, and only later added childcare centers as another area to test, said state education associate Jamie Mack.
“We are still working on a plan for childcare centers,” he said.
7. Updated testing, communication plans will come after EPA review
Much to the public’s dismay, an updated communication and testing plan remains a work in progress. State and EPA officials assured forum attendees that Delaware is working “diligently” on an improved communication plan but said that wouldn’t be revealed until after an EPA review of the state’s lead testing program.
RELATED:Why Delaware schools waited a year to alert public to elevated lead levels
State officials said they’re expanding their audiences for future communication, including who from school districts are alerted to sample results, after discovering its initial communications to school district facilities and maintenance managers limited how much information was shared publicly.
Mack said the state had a communications plan, but it was “obviously inadequate.” This conflicts with the education department’s Oct. 24 response to a Freedom of Information Act request for that plan, indicating the state department had no responsive records.
8. State financial resources critical for remediating lead
What financial resources Delaware will allocate to schools for minor and major capital improvements districts may need to pursue to eliminate lead from its water sources is unclear. State department leaders said what steps may need to be taken will vary by school, making it difficult to predict total remediation costs.
“We’re not exactly sure because it depends on the scope and size of the remediation project,” education department secretary Holodick said. “The question for us as a state is ‘What are the appropriate steps financially, as a state, to remedy these issues?”
State Sen. Sarah McBride, a Wilmington Democrat who organized and led the virtual forum, said legislators “want to see more funding for our schools.”
Got a tip? Contact Amanda Fries at afries@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter at @mandy_fries.
