Time for action on school test results
By Dorothy Wigmore
What’s on your to-do list for the new school year?
Consider checking your district’s lead in drinking water test results and if your district has applied for (or received) a New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) Water Infrastructure Improvement grant. The application deadline had been extended to Aug. 31, and it may be again.
Why the fuss?
Lead is a public, environmental and occupational health issue. It affects anyone who drinks contaminated water. As the state’s 2022 fact sheet clearly states, there is no safe level of lead in the body.
Lead’s hazards have been known for centuries. Children’s growing bodies make them more vulnerable—impacting learning, behavior and more. Lead also affects healthy pregnancies and fertility for all sexes. Adult hazards include behavioral changes (such as violence), increased blood pressure, kidney damage and hearing loss.
What’s this mean for schools?
Like residences and other buildings, schools may have lead in their water systems or lines (including brass fixtures) from corroded plumbing and that leach into drinking water.
Advocacy groups like Lead-Free NJ (LFNJ), Healthy Schools Now (HSN) and Jersey City Together (JCT) have pushed for solutions. Regulations limit lead in plumbing. Grants help fund pipe replacements, fixture upgrades and filtration systems. Resources about lead hazards and fixes are available on government and advocacy websites.
Until plumbing is fully replaced with lead-free materials, temporary solutions include filters and regular outlet flushing.
New Jersey requires school districts to test all drinking and food preparation outlets every three years and after any plumbing changes. Besides using testing protocols, districts must:
- Notify parents within 24 hours after reviewing the test report if levels exceed 15 parts per billion(ppb) or 15 micrograms per liter (µg/l).
- Stop the use of affected outlets immediately.
- Provide alternative drinking water to students and staff.
- Post results publicly and submit them to the NJDOE.
All districts had to complete testing by June 30 and post results on their websites. Not all have complied. Some issued inaccurate or misleading information, saying only “high levels” matter.
Stopping the use of an outlet is common but problematic. JoLynn Moloughney’s recent study found this happens more in low-income districts. She notes that young children may not understand “handwash only” signs, and cutting off outlets removes water access, while leaving the lead hazard.
How can reports be used?
“Everybody should be keeping a watch out for the results,” says Sheila Caldwell, a school nurse, NJEA member and co-chair of LFNJ’s health committee. “The key is to know where those levels are in the building.”
“Start asking questions,” she adds. “Have they started work to address this? Will there be additional testing after they put in a new filtration system?”
Caldwell also suggests contacting the administration or emailing the NJDOE if the report is missing, samples were not taken throughout the building or nothing is done about problematic results.
Results and reports can lead to solutions, says Jersey City Together leader Jim Nelson. In March, the group celebrated a major win after years of advocacy: lead-free fountains in all the city’s schools.
“It’s about connecting civic engagement and civil engineering,” Nelson says.
Reports are often long and technical. So the group also wants plain-language summaries “interpreting the results and their significance, and how this community investment ties to human and environmental health,” Nelson says. They also want a format that lets families translate content into other languages.
Follow-up and a proper maintenance are essential, Caldwell and Nelson say. What has happened since fountains were turned off? Are there new filtration systems? Were systems flushed after summer vacations? Are filters tracked and replaced? Is the maintenance log updated?
Lead isn’t the only concern.
“We celebrated in March,” Nelson says, “and we put this district on notice that we still want conversations about the need to monitor for other contaminants.”
His suggestion for health and safety committees or others reviewing reports?
“Look for any exceedance that requires action; it’s going to be highlighted and flagged,” Nelson says. “But the question is whether the tests were comprehensive through a school building or just representative of a floor or a building.”
Another idea: support student-led water testing projects to ensure regular checks between testing years.
Dorothy Wigmore is a long-time health and safety specialist and WEC consultant. She has worked in Canada, the U.S. and Mozambique, focusing on prevention and worker participation to fix job-related hazards.
What can health and safety activists or committees do?
It’s hard to keep up with the rules and players, but NJEA members can use union connections to advocacy groups. Committees and activists can do the following.
Work with the local association executive committee and UniServ field representative to request the district provide the committee:
- All water test results with plain language summaries of testing and findings.
- Short-, medium- and long-term plans for results above 15 ppb (µg/l), with awareness that other states use 5 ppb (e.g., see DEP’s “Lead sampling information”).
- The district’s water system(s) maintenance plan and activity logs.
- Opportunities to discuss and evaluate follow-up.
Map the results and share them with members, along with explanations of their meaning, the district’s proposed solutions and the local association’s proposed response(s).
Review the district’s public information to ensure it clearly says there is no safe level.
Use members’ skills (e.g., science, statistics) and other resources (below) to:
- Advocate for filters first, not outlet shutoffs.
- Push for more frequent tests (including student projects).
- Encourage preventive action for results under 15 ppb/µg/l).
Work with community groups (e.g., HSN, LFNJ) to ensure healthy school water reaches all classrooms — especially where it’s needed most.
Check out Lead Free New Jersey’s booth and session at the NJEA Convention on Nov. 6-7.
References and resources
New Jersey Department of Education
Securing Our Children’s Future Bond Act: Water Infrastructure Improvement Grant
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
Schools – Lead Sampling Information
Jersey City Together