Tell Oakland Unified: Get the Lead Out, Safe Water Now
Oakland Unified School Board
Oakland Unified recently found toxic lead in drinking water at dozens of schools. In some cases, parents and teachers were left in the dark for months about lead-contaminated water at their school.
No child should be exposed to the dangers of lead while learning at school. Lead is highly toxic to kids, and even small exposures can cause permanent damage to their cognitive development. Pediatricians across the country stress that there is NO safe level of lead for kids.
The district is claiming to fix water outlets where the highest levels of lead were found. BUT they have not committed to testing every water outlet for lead. And currently the district is NOT fixing water fountains where small amounts of lead were found (1-5 parts per billion). Kids at dozens of schools are still drinking from these water fountains during their school day and are at risk of lead exposure.
Oakland Unified must take immediate action to ensure safe drinking water at all schools and update its district-wide water policy to proactively protect kids from this serious health threat.
Petition by
To:
Oakland Unified School Board
From:
[Your Name]
We are deeply concerned and disturbed that lead-contaminated water has been found at dozens of Oakland schools across the district and that parents and teachers were kept in the dark for months about these serious threats to our children's health.
We urge you to take the following districtwide actions to ensure safe, lead-free drinking water at schools: (1) conduct regular testing of all water outlets at every school in the district, (2) fix all water outlets where ANY lead is found in the water [1 part per billion or higher], and (3) ensure transparency by posting all water test results publicly for parents and teachers.
There is NO safe level of lead in drinking water. Oakland Unified must take comprehensive action to protect kids from the dangers of this toxic threat.