Dive Brief:
- In Newark, NJ, 17,000 students are at risk of lead poisoning after drinking from contaminated water fountains at district schools; officials say each of the district’s 67 schools will now have their water fountains and food prep sinks tested for lead.
- The decision comes a week after state officials announced 30 schools had lead in their water; an estimated 2000 toddlers will be tested first, and students will be able to opt-out.
- Questions are now being raised about when the district knew about the problems after a 2014 memo referencing lead contaminants surfaced; union leaders are accusing Newark superintendent Chris Cerf of concealing the problem from the public.
Dive Insight:
On the heels of the poisoned water crisis in Flint, MI, and Cleveland, OH, it’s possible the crisis unfolding in Newark will make national headlines. Political lines are being drawn and the union has taken public aim at Newark Superintendent Chris Cerf. Keith Barton, the former executive managing director for district operations, is the reported author of the 2014 memo, which damningly called for schools to tell students that they needed to run each fountain or faucet for a minimum of 30 seconds before drinking the water.
Cerf has only been in his position since July 2015, when former superintendent Cami Anderson stepped down. At the time, Cerf said he planned to listen more to community members and figure out how to reinstate local control over Newark schools, which have been state-supervised for 20 years. The problems will likely worsen in coming days for Newark, a district with a troubled history that even a $100 million donation from Mark Zuckerberg couldn’t much help.
