CABARRUS COUNTY, N.C. — Cabarrus County Schools officials announced late Friday afternoon that lead was found at seven schools.
This came after parents at Northwest Cabarrus High School had already received an urgent message this week that stated high levels of lead were found at two spots on the Northwest Cabarrus High School campus.
Parent Gretchen Clowney said the message caught her off guard after the message.
“It made me really think,” she said.
Two sinks at Northwest Cabarrus High School tested above what the state says is a safe level of lead, Channel 9″s Eli Brand reports.
Those sinks are in the visitor concession stand at the football stadium and at a handwash sink in the kitchen.
The sink in the football stadium tested just above the level allowed by the state, while the sink in the kitchen tested nearly four times the limit.
Clowney’s son, Kingston, said he doesn’t like the taste of the water on campus but drinks it occasionally.
“I’ve always (brought) water from home, but it just shocked me a little bit,” Kingston said.
He is a baseball player and uses the fountain at the concession stand.
“I thought of all the times that I drunk it, and I didn’t have water,” he said.
He said he also uses the sink to wash his hands.
“It makes me feel unsanitary,” Kingston said.
Cabarrus County Schools said they’ve taken those two faucets out of service and are working to correct the lead levels.
Before they’re put back into service, they will be tested to ensure the water is usable.
A former Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools employee, who worked in environmental health and safety, said any level of lead can have negative effects.
“Lead can absolutely come from a teacher who happily filled her water carton three times a day at the beautiful, pristine-looking, brand-new-looking water fountain that was dispensing poison,” Brian Kasher told Channel 9.
At Coltrane Webb STEM Elementary, lead appeared in 33.62 parts per billion in the steamer in the kitchen.
The state action level is 10 parts per billion.
“It was kind of overwhelming,” said parent Jennifer Tadlock. “We, my children, they drink from water fountains. They eat school lunch, and so it’s, it was pretty alarming.”
The district said lead was detected above state action levels in the following schools:
- Coltrane Webb STEM Elementary: The sample came from a steamer in the kitchen. It was replaced and retested. The sample came from a faucet in a workroom. The faucet was removed from service and retested. Both are below action levels.
- Weddington Hills Elementary: The sample came from a steamer in the kitchen. It was removed from service. It’s pending a retest. The sample came from a tilt skillet in the kitchen, which was removed. This sample came from a fountain at a sink in Kid’s Plus Office, which was permanently removed and capped.
- W.R. Odell Elementary School: This sample came from a combi oven in the kitchen. Parts were replaced and a restest is pending.
- Concord High School: Faucet No. 4 in the Family and Consumer Science room which was removed from service. Officials will replace it and request a retest to confirm it can put in a new faucet into service.
- Cox Mill Elementary School: A faucet in the kitchen and the left water fountain near the gym had high lead levels. They requested replacements and will request a retest.
- Hickory Ridge High School: The faucet near the visitor concession stand was taken out of service and will be replaced and retested.
- Northwest Cabarrus High School: Faucet in the visitor concession stand at the football field and a faucet for a handwash sink had high levels. They were taken out of service and will be replaced and retested.
Click here for the information provided by the school district.
Channel 9 has been investigating lead-testing policies for years. Testing has been required since 2023, when a state law was passed mandating districts test and report results.
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