NASBE Report on Lead in Water Testing Cited in the Media

NASBE’s recent report How States Are Handling Lead in School Drinking Water was featured in several news stories from EducationDive, District Administrator, The 74, and others.

 

From Education Dive’s story, “Report: Testing requirements for lead in school drinking water remain hit-or-miss nationwide,” November 3, 2021 –

State leaders have long lacked federal requirements for creating rules around drinking water lead testing, but that could soon change. The Environmental Protection Agency is expected to implement revisions to its Lead and Copper Rule, which would require community water systems to test for lead in drinking water at 20% of K-12 schools and licensed child care centers in their service areas each year.

It would also identify areas most impacted by the problem, strengthen drinking water treatments requirements, replace lead service lines, increase sampling reliability and improve risk communication. Federal programs would help finance mitigation.

 

From District Administrator’s story, “6 actions district leaders should promote to keep lead out of drinking water”, November 8, 2021 –

Most states help schools test drinking water for lead but inconsistent decontamination efforts may be putting children at risk, a new report finds.

Nearly half the schools in a dozen states from which data is available discovered lead in their drinking water, according to a 2018 study.

Lead can leach into drinking water from pipes, fixtures and plumbing materials that contain lead, which is harmful in any amount, according to the report “How States Are Handling Lead in School Drinking Water,” by the National Association of State Boards of Education.

 

From The 74’s Story, “Administration Welcomes Passage of Infrastructure Bill, But Hurdles Remain for Rest of Biden’s Domestic Agenda”, November 8, 2021 –

The House is expected to vote next week on President Joe Biden’s $1.75 trillion social spending plan, but its future in the Senate remains uncertain with some progressives wanting to add more programs to the package and two budget-minded Democrats likely to oppose those efforts.

For now, however, Democrats are celebrating the passage of half of Biden’s legislative agenda — the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill that includes funds to expand broadband access, replace diesel school buses and rid schools of lead pipes.

Some of those efforts are well-timed. Just last week, a report released from the National Association of State Boards of Education showed that while 45 states have voluntary or mandatory lead testing programs for schools, only 15 provide any financial support for mitigation.

“The influx of money would help bolster state and local efforts for lead testing in schools and provide more opportunities for states to engage in the work,” said Renee Rybak Lang, spokeswoman for the association.

States, she said, will need “clear guidance” on how schools and districts can apply for the funds — $15 billion for replacing lead pipes and $23.5 billion for water treatment projects, fixing pipes and other work to provide clean drinking water.