October 24, 2024
Oakland Unified School District began this school year with some unsettling news: the drinking water in the district’s schools had tested positive for dangerously high levels of lead.
The district had found high levels of lead in the water during tests conducted over spring and summer, but it didn’t share those results with parents and staff until this August.
Lead testing hasn’t been required in California schools for the last five years. That means Oakland Unified is unusual among California school districts in that it knows that there’s a lead problem at all.
Guests:
- Hannah Lau, student at Life Academy in Oakland Unified School District
- Nate Landry, parent of Edna Brewer Middle School student
- Monica Velez, EdSource reporter
Read more from EdSource:
- Oakland teachers union calls for action after high levels of lead reported in school drinking water
- Gaps in California law requiring schools to test for lead could leave children at risk
Education Beat is a weekly podcast. This episode is hosted by EdSource’s Emma Gallegos and produced by Coby McDonald.