By Michael Benavides
Staff Writer
JACKSON – The superintendent of schools in the Jackson School District has notified residents that elevated levels of lead have been found in drinking outlets at three more schools in the township.
In an April 3 letter, Superintendent of Schools Stephen Genco said elevated levels of lead were found at Jackson Memorial High School, Don Connor Boulevard, the Switlik Elementary School, West Veterans Highway, and the Christa McAuliffe Middle School, South Hope Chapel Road.
The district’s transportation building on Don Connor Boulevard also had elevated levels of lead which were found in a point of entry in the boiler room, according to the letter.
In a March 23 letter, Genco reported that elevated levels of lead had been found in the Goetz Middle School, Patterson Road, the Johnson Elementary School, Larsen Road, the Crawford-Rodriguez Elementary School, Larsen Road, and Jackson Liberty High School, North Hope Chapel Road.
The district’s administration building on Don Connor Boulevard also had elevated levels of lead in its water outlets, according to the letter.
According to Genco, “In accordance with Department of Education regulations, the district is implementing immediate remedial measures for any drinking water outlet with a result greater than the action level of 15 parts per billion (ppb).
“This includes turning off the outlet unless it is determined the location must remain on for non-drinking purposes. In these cases, a ‘Do Not Drink – Safe for Hand Washing Only’ sign will be posted.”
The superintendent said an elevated level of lead in drinking water is most dangerous for pregnant women, infants and children under 6.
On April 6, Genco said district administrators are taking the test results very seriously and are doing everything possible to ensure that students are being provided with safe drinking water.
“When we received the results, we acted immediately to halt water consumption in the areas that tested above state limits and notified our parents and staff of the results.
“With these last results complete, the final result is that out of 505 outlets throughout the district that supply drinking water, 25 of them needed to be shut down,” Genco said.
“With the last phase of lead testing results complete, the district is focusing on making the repairs and replacements necessary to bring all water sources within state limits.
“All of the affected sites are either shut off or restricted to hand-washing only so we can be sure we are safe while we work on a permanent solution.
“Now we turn our attention to fixing the core issues at each location, whether it is replacing a section of pipe, or replacing a fixture or making repairs. This is an issue we are taking very seriously.
“We want our parents to know that even though we did have areas that required our attention, we acted quickly to make sure we are providing a safe environment for our students and staff.
The test results are available in the school district’s central office for inspection by the public, including students, teachers, other school personnel and parents, and may be viewed between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m.
The full test results are also available at www.jacksonsd.org. Select Departments and Programs and then Facilities Department to view the test results.
