Sullied school water sparks rally
Jersey City parents and children rallied outside the Board of Education building yesterday, asking for more transparency and faster action as the district moves to clean up lead found in drinking water at schools this summer.
The final results of the district's voluntary lead testing program, released last month, found that 3 percent of water sources at school buildings have elevated levels of lead, even when the faucets were allowed to run for a few minutes. The federal Environmental Protection Agency lead standard for drinking water is no more than 20-parts-per-billion.
"Now what?" shouted parents, as they marched outside the Claremont Avenue building, chanting and carrying signs.
"Our experience shows that if parents do not speak up, do not organize, then the district procrastinates," said Mahmood Ketabchi, organizer of the Parents and Communities United for Education rally.
PCUE leaders demanded a timeline for the district's lead clean-up by the end of the month, creation of a BOE standing committee dedicated to environmental issues, an indoor air quality walk-through that includes parents, and a semi-annual health and safety report card for each school.
Within 30 days, the district will announce a permanent remedy to the elevated lead problem, said Roger Jones, a spokesman for the district.
Any water sources that showed elevated levels of lead were shut off and water coolers were dispatched to the schools, he added.
"We're on their side whether they understand it or not," Jones said, referring to the ralliers. "We welcome this dialogue. By no means are our doors closed."
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