Families in Flint, Mich., filed a class action last week against the state and the school district, saying more needs to be done to help students whose academic performance and behavior have worsened because of the city’s lead-tainted water.
The school system was already struggling before Flint’s water supply was contaminated by lead over an 18-month period. Lead affects the brain and nervous system, especially in children.
The 15 families say that the state education department, the Flint district, and a countywide district were already not complying with laws intended to help students with disabilities, and that the lead crisis is compounding the problem.