Old tests found lead in 2 Tacoma elementary schools

SEATTLE – Two public elementary schools in Tacoma found high levels of lead in their drinking water last May, but the Tacoma Public School district announced the results and informed parents on Monday.

District officials on Friday night reviewed the past tests that found “higher than accepted” levels of lead at Mann and Reed elementary schools, according to Dave Wilkins, a spokesman for the district. Wilkins said it wasn’t immediately known why earlier action was not taken on the test results.

Leslie Cooley, the treasurer for the Parent Teacher Association at Reed, said in a phone interview Monday the association will be asking further questions of the district soon and added the test results worried her.

“It bothers me that they knew about it for a year and didn’t do anything,” she said.

Wilkins said the district retested water systems at the schools this weekend, blocked off drinking fountains and ordered bottled water. He added the district will conduct an audit of all past water quality tests at every school.

Results for the new tests at Mann and Reed are still being processed, and a news release says the district plans to provide updates and more information as it comes.