Superintendents speak on lead testing

Area superintendents have commented on the recently-passed legislation by Gov. Bruce Rauner that requires lead testing in Illinois elementary schools and day care centers.

Senate Bill 550, which took effect as soon as it was signed on Jan. 17, applies to schools with students up to grade 5 and facilities built before 2000. Schools and facilities will have to pay for the testing, the results of which will be made available to parents and guardians of students.

School officials have expressed concerns about having to pay for the testing.

“At this point, it’s another unfunded mandate and that’s very frustrating,” said Steeleville District 138 Superintendent Stephanie Mulholland.

Mulholland said her district’s school buildings were built in the 1950s, meaning water testing must be completed by the end of this year - which is required for buildings built before January 1, 1987.

Schools built between January 2, 1987 and January 1, 2000 must complete testing by the end of 2018. Daycares constructed on or before January 1, 2000 and serve children under the age of 6 will also be required to conduct testing.

“It is an unfunded mandate,” said Chester District 139 Superintendent Rick Goodman. “This is unusual for me, but I don't have an issue with this mandate because the safety of our students and staff could be at risk if we have a lead problem in one of our schools.”

The legislation follows the Flint (Mich.) water crisis, which shed light on the hazards of lead contamination and the disproportionate impact on low-income and minority residents.

Children are most at risk to the effects of elevated lead levels, which can cause developmental delays. Lead pipes were banned in the U.S. in 1986.

“When I brought in the air quality consultants, I inquired about the lead testing because I was hearing some rumblings and I remembered what had happened in Michigan with their water quality issues,” said Goodman, referring to a board of education decision last October to approve a contract with Environmental Consultants to conduct air quality testing at Chester Grade School and eventually Chester High School. “I thought it would be best to be ahead of the pack in making sure we were okay with our drinking water.

“Our district-wide goal is always safety first.”

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan's office and the Illinois Environmental Council pushed for lead testing for months, but Rauner's administration wasn't on board until recent negotiations. Earlier versions of the bill required water suppliers to pay for the testing, which experts estimate could run from $500 to $5,000 per facility.

Goodman noted the estimated cost to his district for the testing is $3,500. Mulholland said she did not have an estimate yet.

“No kind of testing like that is cheap,” Mulholland said.

Illinois EPA Acting Director Alec Messina called the new law an important step toward "eliminating the risk of lead exposure to our most vulnerable citizens, Illinois' children."

The law also requires owners and operators of public water systems to create an inventory of lead service lines for the state's EPA and notify residents when work will be done on water mains.

"This will change the system. We're holding our schools and our day care centers accountable for lead testing," Rauner said at a Martin Luther King Jr. Day event in Chicago with the Rev. Jesse Jackson and state legislators. "We are going to insist that this get done and our administration will be a key part of this."

- The Associated Press contributed to this report.