They’re still cleaning and testing at Naomi L. Brooks Elementary School in Alexandria, Virginia, where a window replacement project exposed particles of old lead paint last week.
The health risks to children, teachers and staff from lead exposure forced the closing of the school building Friday. It was closed for additional days on Monday and Tuesday before Wednesday’s break for the Rosh Hashana holiday.
In a Zoom meeting Tuesday evening with the school community, school leaders and health professionals provided an update and answered questions from concerned parents.
Alexandria City Public Schools has recommended that students, teachers and staff undergo blood tests to determine whether they have elevated lead levels.
“We at the Alexandria Health Department understand that this situation is indeed very frightening,” said Health Department Director Dr. David Rose.
Rose said the health department plans to offer free blood level testing later this week, but it’s still trying to obtain adequate supplies of test kits.
“The Alexandria Health Department will offer free testing at our main office located on the fourth floor at 4850 Mark Center Drive later this week,” Rose said.
Lead dust was found last Thursday in two classrooms and the school’s main office suite.
“The results of those tests indicated elevated lead-containing dust either present in the window sills, on the floors of those spaces, or on both the window sills and floors,” said Alicia Hart, chief operating officer of Alexandria City Public Schools.
The cleaning process is time-consuming with necessary testing following each area cleaning to verify that the exposed lead has been eliminated.
“I would estimate, at this point, between 40%-50% of the school has been cleaned. They are making great progress every day,” Hart said.
It’s not clear if the school will reopen on Monday, and the school system has been working to identify alternate sites where in-person learning can resume.