Administrators at Naomi L. Brooks Elementary School in Alexandria, Virginia, are urging staff and families to get blood tests after the discovery of lead particles in multiple classrooms and offices in the school building.
The school first notified parents and students of the discovery Thursday and closed the school Friday.
In an alert to the school community, Principal Suzanne Hess said an environmental cleaning contractor “identified lead particles in a kindergarten classroom, a fourth-grade classroom, the main office suite and the clinic.”
Hess called it a “deeply concerning matter” and said the school is working with the Alexandria Health Department to provide guidance on next steps.
On Friday, AHD director David C. Rose recommended families who believe they were affected to get blood tests — either through their health care provider or the AHD. Exposure to lead is most harmful to “very young children and pregnant people,” he wrote.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, exposure to lead often doesn’t show obvious or immediate symptoms in children. They can be exposed to it through lead-based paint, which was often used in homes and buildings built before 1978, gas from piston engine aircrafts, stained glass, certain pipes, toys, jewelry or candy.
The most adverse effects of lead exposure can be seen in children with slowed growth and development, hearing and speech problems, damage to the brain or nervous system.
In this case, lead particles were found during the school’s window replacement project.
In a joint letter to families on Friday, Alexandria City Public Schools Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt and ACPS’ chief operating officer Alicia Hart said after cleaning is finished, clearance testing will be conducted to make sure it was successful in “removing lead-containing dust.” The results must be verified before it can reopen.
School leaders added that classes will be conducted asynchronously and virtually Tuesday ahead of the prescheduled closure days on Oct. 2-4 due to teacher work days and the Jewish High Holiday of Rosh Hashana.
On Tuesday evening, the school, alongside the state and city’s health departments, will be meeting virtually to answer some of the public’s questions and concerns. The link to that Zoom meeting can be found here.
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