Boston Public Schools to Hold Information Sessions on Water Safety

Boston Public Schools will host two information sessions on water safety for families Monday night and Tuesday morning.

Superintendent Tommy Chang, Assistant Superintendent of Operations Kim Rice, Chief Engineer John Sullivan of the Boston Water & Sewer Commission and Dr. Sean Palfrey, professor of Pediatrics and Public Health at Boston University's Boston Medical Center will lead the forums, which seek to address parents' questions and concerns over lead testing in the public school system.

The meetings come in the midst of testing that has been marred by its fair share of problems; last week it was reported that two BPS staffers were placed on leave after students at four schools may have been accidentally exposed to contaminated water and on Friday city councilors pushed for fountains to be shut off citywide until testing was completed.

The schools with elevated lead levels where students may have accessed fountains were Curley K-8 in Jamaica Plain, Another Course to College in Brighton, Lee K-8 in Boston, and Mather Elementary in Dorchester, according to the Boston Globe.

A total of nine schools tested were discovered to have higher-than-recommended lead levels in their drinking fountains.

The Environmental Protection Agency recommends drinking water with lead concentrations of no more than 15 parts per billion.

The information sessions will be held Monday, May 9 at 6:30 p.m. and Tuesday, May 10 at 8 a.m. in the School Committee Room on the 2nd floor of the Bruce C. Bolling Building, 2300 Washington St.

Alison Bauter (Patch Staff) contributed to this report.

>> Photo credit r. nial bradshaw via Flickr/Creative Commons