Massachusetts officials are investing $2 million to help public schools test for lead in drinking water.
The funds will provide technical assistance to ensure public schools can sample taps and water fountains in their schools.
This comes after Boston Public Schools announced four schools had tested positive for elevated lead levels in the drinking water.
According to officials, water supplied to schools is generally lead-free, but lead can be introduced into drinking water through plumbing and fixtures in buildings, especially buildings that are more than 20 years old.
Boston Public Schools has deactivated all four water fountains at the Kenny School, one water fountain at the Hernandez school, three fountains at Boston Latin Academy, and one fountain at the Murphy school. Students were also provided with more access to bottled water.
According to BPS, parents of students at the schools were notified about the elevated lead levels.
In response to the incident, BPS released the following statement:
BPS considers the health and well-being of its students and faculty a top priority. BPS Health Services is available to speak with any parents who have concerns, or who may want their children tested out of an abundance of caution.
The district is committed to ensuring that students have access to clean, potable water in all of our schools. In the past, when the issue of lead in the public drinking water supply became a national health concern, BPS switched to bottled water across all schools. Recently, the district launched a plan to begin restoring water fountains in schools across the district, and is taking all necessary steps to make sure that any new water fountains made available to the public meet acceptable state and federal standards.