THE LOOP — Chicago Public Schools says 24 more schools tested positive for dangerous levels of lead in the water, bringing to 99 the total number of schools with a potential problem.
New schools announced Friday included Brenneman, Caldwell, Columbus, Dodge, Fort Dearborn, Graham, Haley, Kanoon, Lewis, Mason, Nettlehorst, Newberry, Norwood Park, Onahan, Pirie, Pulaski, Robinson, Sayre, Schmid, Smith, Till, Tilton, Twain and Warren.
CPS said parents at the schools had been notified of the failed tests.
CPS announced that four fountains failed the lead test at Onahan, which will be retested at the start of the school year, as officials believe the water may have been turned off ahead of testing, resulting in potential false positives.
According to the district, results have now been returned on 4,924 fixtures at 263 schools. Of those, 160 fixtures — 82 fountains and 78 sinks — or about 3.3 percent, have tested positive for dangerous levels of lead in the water.
CPS Chief Executive Officer Forrest Claypool announced in May that all schools would be tested after lead was found in the water at Tanner Elementary. That initial test was prompted by concerns following the ongoing crisis in Flint, Mich.
CPS has posted complete test results and additional details at a webpage devoted to the issue.
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