School Climate & Safety News in Brief

Flint’s Toxic Water Causes Wide-Ranging Fallout

By Lesli A. Maxwell — January 26, 2016 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

The water crisis in Flint, Mich., that has exposed the city’s residents to toxic levels of lead took on new political urgency last week as Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder apologized for the contamination in his annual State of the State address and pledged to fix the problem amid growing calls for his resignation.

President Barack Obama also declaredan emergency in the city, freeing up as much as $5 million in federal aid to assist with the public-health crisis and said in a speech last week in nearby Detroit that if he were a parent in Flint, he would be “beside myself that my kids’ health could be at risk.”

For months, the 5,500-student Flint district—with an enrollment that is mostly low-income and African-American—has been supplying its schools with bottled water to reduce the risk of exposure for students and staff members. The water faucets and drinking fountains in four of Flint’s schools tested above the federal limits for lead content—one at more than six times the federal limit.

The man-made catastrophe started nearly two years ago, while the financially strapped city was under the control of a state-appointed emergency manager. That’s when officials decided to save money by switching the city’s water supply from Lake Huron to the Flint River, a tributary with water so toxic that General Motors didn’t want it used at its engine plant in Flint. That move introduced lead and iron into the water, and even though the city stopped using the Flint River as its water source last fall, concerns remain high because the aging pipes and service lines still release lead.

In the time since the switch to the contaminated-water source, the proportion of infants and children with above-average levels of lead in their blood has nearly doubled, according to a study released last September by the Hurley Medical Center in Flint.

A version of this article appeared in the January 27, 2016 edition of Education Week as Flint’s Toxic Water Causes Wide-Ranging Fallout

Events

Teaching Profession K-12 Essentials Forum New Insights Into the Teaching Profession
Join this free virtual event to get exclusive insights from Education Week's State of Teaching project.
Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and K-12 education jubs at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.
Mathematics K-12 Essentials Forum Helping Students Succeed in Math

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

School Climate & Safety Spotlight Spotlight on Enhancing School Safety and Emergency Response
This Spotlight will help you explore proactive measures and effective strategies for enhancing school safety and emergency response.
School Climate & Safety Leading a District After a School Shooting Is Hard. These Superintendents Want to Help
A network of superintendents who've led districts after school shootings plans to support colleagues recovering from similar crises.
4 min read
Photograph of crime scene tape and school.
F. Sheehan for Education Week / Getty
School Climate & Safety States Emphasize School Violence Prevention, Not Just Security
In the wake of school shootings in their states last year, legislators hope to avert future tragedies.
7 min read
Local residents pray during a candlelight vigil following a shooting at Perry High School, on Jan. 4, 2024, in Perry, Iowa.
Local residents pray during a candlelight vigil following a shooting at Perry High School, on Jan. 4, 2024, in Perry, Iowa. The deaths in school shootings last year have led to new legislation in a half-dozen states.
Charlie Neibergall/AP
School Climate & Safety Leader To Learn From One Leader’s Plan to Cut Chronic Absenteeism—One Student at a Time
Naomi Tolentino helps educators in Kansas City, Kan., support strong school attendance.
9 min read
Naomi Tolentino Miranda leads a meeting on student attendance at J.C. Harmon High School on Jan. 16, 2025 in Kansas City, Kansas. Tolentino Miranda showed school administrators recent data reflecting positive progress in combating chronic absenteeism.
Naomi Tolentino leads a meeting on student attendance at J.C. Harmon High School on Jan. 16, 2025 in Kansas City, Kansas. Tolentino showed school administrators recent data reflecting positive progress in combating chronic absenteeism.
Erin Woodiel for Education Week