Oakland teachers and parents made their voices heard Tuesday night after learning some students were exposed to lead in the drinking water at some schools.
The Oakland Unified School District says it has tested more than 1,000 faucets over the past few months, and it identified 186 fixtures with elevated levels of lead.
District policy says those water sources should have been immediately taken out of service. But one teacher at Frick United Academy of Language told NBC Bay Area the school was not notified of the elevated lead levels until the first day of school last week.
Public records show the testing was done in April.
The teacher said the school's principal immediately covered the faucets when notified, and a letter was sent out by the district saying it did not communicate effectively about test results and fixes. The district added that it is putting "systems in place" to ensure lack of communication does not happen again.
Parents and teachers at Hillcrest School along with Oakland Unified school board vice president Mike Hutchinson held a virtual listening session, where parents can voice their concerns on Tuesday evening.
Hutchinson said that so far, the lead is not in the piping, which would impact water supply. Rather, the lead is being released from the older fixtures into the water.
Dr. Yvonne Maldonado, a professor of pediatrics at Stanford University, told NBC Bay Area on Tuesday that symptoms are difficult to trace and depends on the level of exposure to the lead.
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Ultimately, Maldonado believes the school district must inform the community if students at impacted schools should seek medical attention.
“When you find lead in any consumable anything children are going to eat or drink that is always a concern and should be addressed right away,” she said.
Tuesday night’s meeting was closed to the public as parents could speak freely.
OUSD said that all schools are expected to be assessed in the coming months for lead issues and as reports become available, the school community will be notified within 72 hours.
