A Beaverton middle school is the latest place to confront exposure to a toxic metal. Beaverton School District officials announced Monday they found lead in two drinking water fountains at Highland Park Middle School.
District staff have shut off the water fountains at Highland Park and provided water dispensers in classrooms. The district is not providing lead testing for students at the school, but they recommend concerned parents consult their children's physician.
Beaverton officials said the district intends to replace Highland Park’s water system but not until summer 2017.
"Advancing this $1.5 million project to 2016 is not feasible due to the time required for design, permitting and construction," Beaverton officials said in a statement. "The work would entail tearing up hallway floors and walls, etc., which could not be completed by September."
Oregon law doesn’t mandate schools test for lead. But Beaverton officials said they intend to test all their schools, following the unsafe lead levels at Highland Park.
Lead in the drinking water of Oregon schools may sound familiar. The Associated Press found elevated lead levels in schools across the country in a report published last month.
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