by
Defer Elementary School
The water crisis in Flint has prompted some institutions to conduct tests of water.
Consequently, the Grosse Pointe Public School System announced Monday that six schools had elevated lead and copper levels.
A posting on the school district's website said of the 130 samples tested in the district’s 15 schools, 10 were above the "action point." The district went on to say 92.3% were safely in the Environmental Protection Agency’s goal range.
“The findings of this initial screening are comparable to what we’re seeing in other schools and buildings that we have tested," Scott Chandler, CIH, LEED AP Manager, Industrial Hygiene Services of Testing Engineers and Consultants, Inc., the outside company GPPSS contracted with to conduct testing using Paragon Laboratories, stated, according to the district's website.
The schools cited are:
- Barnes Eaarerly Childhood (faculty lounge sink)
- Brownell Middle School (first-floor lifeskills middle south sink and the first floor employee lounge sink)
- Defer Elementary (second-floor kitchen area left prep sink and the ground floor drinking fountain outside room 107)
- Kerby Elementary School (first-floor kitchen sink)
- Maire Elementary School (first floor right kitchen sink)
- Pierce Middle School (first-floor gym west drinking fountains and second floor drinking fountain outside room 201)
.The school district stated:
These are the Steps Already Taken to ensure student safety:
- Turned off and disconnected every fountain that tested above an action level
- Shared these results with principals, staff, families, city managers, and local health care professionals
- Re-tested all o the Defer and Pierce drinking fountains, and conducted additional tests including Ferry where data was initially reported incorrectly with rush results anticipated this week
- Tested the Pierce Middle School Kitchen (not included in the initial list of locations)
- Bottled water has been delivered for students and staff at Defer and Pierce schools where the fountains were disconnected while the district awaits further test results
Here are the Next Steps we are working on:
- Changing fixtures for all kitchen prep sinks and/or installing filters that meet Safe Water Drinking Act and EPA requirements
- Re-testing after fixtures replaced/filters installed
- Due to low usage, capping bubblers in classrooms (drinking fountains attached to some classroom sinks). Directing staff not to allow use in interim
- Double-checking all drinking water coolers against the federal Lead Contamination Control Act list
- Establishing an ongoing water sample schedule going forward
- Directing staff to flush all sinks for two (2) minutes prior to
