"Multiple OUSD schools have found lead in their water. Lead pipes connected to water fountains and classroom sinks have polluted the schools’ drinking supply. " --Alice Stewart, 6th grade
Multiple OUSD schools have found lead in their water. This has affected some nearby schools, such as Edna Brewer and Lincoln Elementary, who have had to shut off some of their water fountains. Lead pipes connected to water fountains and classroom sinks have polluted the schools’ drinking supply.
OUSD started testing the water for lead in April, but the community wasn’t informed of the results until August 10th because of a reported miscommunication. This is a big problem as OUSD wasn’t able to inform its community of the lead in the water, meaning students were left to drink the water for about four months. Negative effects of lead poisoning include anemia, kidney and brain damage, as well as learning disabilities, and decreased growth. Alameda County recommends a blood test for students who go to the affected schools.
OUSD has taken responsibility for this problem. In the NBC article, “Oakland school district says it failed to properly warn parents about lead in water”, OUSD admits "we did not communicate effectively to the members of each school community as the testing launched." In other words, they didn’t tell people the results of the lead testing, and they didn’t realize people hadn’t heard about the results of the lead testing until a little over four months later.
OUSD teachers are upset about this problem, too. Max Simmons, one of OUSD’s student directors, said “This mistake has caused families stress, anxiety and panic, further limiting our community’s trust in this district. How can our schools be a safe place and support students in our district if we can’t even keep our water clean? When I hear that something as major as lead contamination reports getting lost in the system or not being communicated to the appropriate school or staff, it is absolutely horrifying and heartbreaking.”
“We all learned about the situation at the same time, through the same communication from the facilities department after the first week of school,” said Ms. Sambrani, Principal of Lincoln Elementary. “It is hard to be in a position of leadership with no additional information or knowledge, when people look to you for information and guidance…I worry about impact—that this and other problems can take away from our students' ability to feel well supported and able to learn, relax. be trusting and be joyful.”
This affects lots of students, as well. When interviewed about the matter, Maggie G, a student at Edna Brewer, said, “They closed off water fountains and I often forget my water.” This means that students could potentially not have any water for the entire school day, making them dehydrated.
OUSD started testing the water for lead in April, but the community wasn’t informed of the results until August 10th because of a reported miscommunication. This is a big problem as OUSD wasn’t able to inform its community of the lead in the water, meaning students were left to drink the water for about four months. Negative effects of lead poisoning include anemia, kidney and brain damage, as well as learning disabilities, and decreased growth. Alameda County recommends a blood test for students who go to the affected schools.
OUSD has taken responsibility for this problem. In the NBC article, “Oakland school district says it failed to properly warn parents about lead in water”, OUSD admits "we did not communicate effectively to the members of each school community as the testing launched." In other words, they didn’t tell people the results of the lead testing, and they didn’t realize people hadn’t heard about the results of the lead testing until a little over four months later.
OUSD teachers are upset about this problem, too. Max Simmons, one of OUSD’s student directors, said “This mistake has caused families stress, anxiety and panic, further limiting our community’s trust in this district. How can our schools be a safe place and support students in our district if we can’t even keep our water clean? When I hear that something as major as lead contamination reports getting lost in the system or not being communicated to the appropriate school or staff, it is absolutely horrifying and heartbreaking.”
“We all learned about the situation at the same time, through the same communication from the facilities department after the first week of school,” said Ms. Sambrani, Principal of Lincoln Elementary. “It is hard to be in a position of leadership with no additional information or knowledge, when people look to you for information and guidance…I worry about impact—that this and other problems can take away from our students' ability to feel well supported and able to learn, relax. be trusting and be joyful.”
This affects lots of students, as well. When interviewed about the matter, Maggie G, a student at Edna Brewer, said, “They closed off water fountains and I often forget my water.” This means that students could potentially not have any water for the entire school day, making them dehydrated.
But there are still some places for students to get water. At Lincoln Elementary, unsafe fountains have been turned off, safe fountains have been marked with a sticker, and two more Flowater machines (machines that provide safe, filtered water) have been provided for the school. A non-profit has also donated bottled water. Office Depot, Lincoln’s long time donor and partner, will be offering water bottles for students in the next 10 days.
