To prevent exposure to lead contamination in the drinking water of Pennsylvania's schools, the Public School Code was amended in June 2018 (by Act 39 of 2018 Opens In A New Window) to:
- Encourage schools to test for lead in their drinking water;
- Require schools that do not test to discuss lead issues at a public meeting; and
- Implement a plan if results exceed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) national primary drinking water standard of 15 parts per billion (ppb).
Under Act 39 of 2018, schools may, but are not required to, test for lead levels annually in the drinking water of any facility where children attend school.
If a school chooses not to test for lead levels, then the school must discuss lead issues in school facilities at a public meeting once a year. This meeting may be a stand-alone meeting or part of an existing public meeting (such as a school board meeting).
The Penn Hills School District voluntarily tests for lead in drinking water on an annual basis. Results of those tests can be found below:
