Newark Was Warned, Memo Says: Lead In School Water Supply Is A 'Smoking Gun'

Newark, NJ – Newark officials may have known about the elevated level of lead in the district’s schools since August of 2014, according to a recently released state memo.

Following the Newark Public School District’s announcement that elevated lead readings have been found at 30 schools in its jurisdiction, some local activists have raised an important question… how long have administrators known about the possible risk?

• See related article: Newark Schools Shut Off Water Taps In 30 Buildings: Elevated Lead Found, DEP Says

The memo from Executive Managing Director of Operations Keith Barton – released by the Newark Teachers Union - was sent to all principals, vice-principals and other school personnel on Aug. 30, 2014.

It advised students and school personnel to perform a “mandatory daily flushing of drinking water sources to reduce the risk of possible lead contamination,” and instructs them to run each fountain or drinking faucet for at least 30 seconds before taking a sip.

Custodians in the district were advised to flush each water fountain in their schools for two minutes before each school day.

“The Newark Public Schools has installed lead reduction filters on all drinking water and food prep sources in all schools constructed prior to 2006,” the memo reads. “They are maintained on a regular basis based on manufacturer’s recommendations and quarterly random water testing reports.”

“Procedures are in place to monitor and replace lead reduction water filters as needed as a part of the district’s preventative maintenance program,” the memo states.

The memo can be seen online here.

“Who allowed children to drink this water and for how long?” John Abeigon, president of the NTU, told NJ Spotlight. “This is a serious question that must be answered by federal authorities.”

• See related article: Newark Schools Confront Elevated Lead Levels: Mayor Calls For Bottled Water Donations

“This memo is a smoking gun,” Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club stated.

“We now know that in the Newark school leadership, just like in Flint, knew that there was a problem with lead in the water. A year and a half ago, they sent out this memo to everyone in the school system with protocols on lead in drinking water and fountains. They knew that they needed to do more testing and put in place filters that needed to be maintained. They knew they had to flush the water before they could drink it every day.”

“That memo should have been a wake-up call for action,” Tittel said. “They could have been working to reduce lead in their water using better equipment or filters. They would never have sent out this memo if they didn’t know that there was a problem with lead and that the problem had been going on for some time. This is the kind of memo you send out to staff to tell them to do things because you know there is a problem and that’s why this is a smoking gun.”

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