17,000 Newark Schoolchildren To Be Tested For Lead
NEWARK, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- Thousands of children in Newark schools will soon be tested for lead, after tests found higher than acceptable levels in the drinking water in several schools.
As CBS2's Tony Aiello reported, the Newark School District last week turned off water at 30 schools after test results revealed unsafe lead levels. The Newark city health director announced Tuesday that blood tests will be offered to students to 17,000 students at those 30 schools for lead.
Parents may opt out, but most of the parents who spoke to CBS2's Aiello said it is about time the city took the step.
Zariyah Curry, 9, brings a bottle of water to school every day. She attends Wilson Avenue Elementary school, one of the 30 schools that was on the list.
Zariyah said she worries she might get sick.
Parents at the school largely applauded the decision to test the children.
"So of course, we want to find out if everything is OK," said parent Teresa Teixeira.
When asked how worried she was that her child might have elevated lead, Teixeira said, "Naturally, quite worried, but hoping that it's nothing too serious."
Because younger kids are most at risk, 2,000 students in early childhood programs will be tested first.
That decision does not sit well with one city councilman.
"I'm more concerned about the kids who actually can reach the water fountains in the schools," said Newark City Councilman Joseph McCallum (D-West Ward). "The toddlers are too short."
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka told CBS2 that he believes many parents of older children who've never shown symptoms of lead poisoning will opt out.
"We're not forcing people to get lead testing, so we don't know how many parents are going to come forward and say that this is what they want to do," Baraka said.
Baraka challenged Gov. Chris Christie to come up with a plan to fix the aging infrastructure in the schools.
The water supply is fine, officials have emphasized. Old pipes and fittings inside aging buildings are to blame for the spike in lead levels.
Part of the Wilson Avenue School is 135 years old.
Some parents will not wait for the blood testing sites to be up and running. Antoine Curry said he was going to have his kids tested on their own, and admitted that he had some mistrust in the school system.
"I feel like the school knew about this personally, I think, before they even contacted the parents," Curry said.
Curry's mistrust comes from the recent revelation that schools knew about the lead in the water, and were taking steps to reduce it, more than a year before parents were told.
Plans for blood testing were still being developed as of Tuesday and will be announced soon.
Too much lead can damage the nervous system and young children are most at risk.