Currently, Prince Georges County, Maryland School system is following water quality guidelines that are out of date and dangerous for students and teachers. The current guidelines allow for up to 10 ppb of lead to be the threshold level of the water sources in the public school system. According to the EPA, "NO level of lead is acceptable in drinking water" especially for children whose brains are still developing.
We are asking PGCPS to do the following:
1. Please ensure the drinking water is 100% safe by lowering the lead in water threshold to 0 ppb and ensuring children and staff have access to clean safe water throughout the day.
2. Please inform the parents and teachers of the exact lead levels in all the water taps in their school by sending a letter home. These letters should be clear and easy to comprehend and in a language they can understand.
3. Please share with parents, teachers and staff information on how the school is dealing with each water source in their school, with the date of action for each test and the date each faucet was turned off.
4. Please come up with an action plan, with clear deadlines and full accountability, to fully address this issue .
Other states have already passed legistlation to bring their lead levels to 0 ppb in their school systems, why isn't PGCPS leading the pack?
According to experts: "Exposures to lead during childhood can create unnecessary and preventable challenges for children and their families," noted Nsedu Obot Witherspoon, Executive Director, Children's Environmental Health Network. "It is vital that we collectively work to eliminate such threats by directly focusing on areas that have otherwise gone unnoticed, including child care facilities and schools."
We want PGCPS to be pioneering and leading the efforts to keep our teachers and children safe from preventable harm. Please take action now to reduce the lead in the school's water to 0ppb for every water source for teachers and students!
Please see below resources that all state that under 0ppb is the safe level of lead in water for children:
EPA
California Dept of Health
American Academy of Pediatrics
Actualizar #2hace 6 años
Hello,
A few months ago you signed my petition, and for that I am truly grateful. Unfortunately, there has been no progress with our request. Please repost and share on your social media platforms so that the county can see that we are concerned about this topic and want change.
Please go to this site to see comprehensive information on the PGCPS lead issue.
http://leadinpgcpswater.blogspot.com/2017/05/key-documents-concerning-lead-in-pgcps.html
Actualizar #1hace 7 años
Thank you for signing our petition! You have made one step toward a healthier safer school system for students and teachers in Prince George’s County, Maryland! Please see this news report where Prince George’s County administrators are confronted about the lead problem in the school system.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmQ5_AtR_uk
