May  20,  2016     Dear  Tanner  families,   In  light  of  national  events  that  have  brought  increased  attention  to  the  issue  of  water  quality,  the  City  of   Chicago  announced  several  additional  precautionary  measures  that  will  be  added  to  the  City’s  water  testing   protocol,  continuing  the  City’s  track  record  of  exceeding  current  state  and  federal  regulations  as  well  as   industry  standards.     As  part  of  this  announcement,  Chicago  Public  Schools  (CPS)  began  a  pilot  program  to  test  water  at  28   schools  to  help  develop  a  standard  approach  for  testing  across  the  district.  Our  top  priority  is  the  health   and  safety  of  our  students  and  staff,  and  this  pilot  was  initiated  out  of  an  abundance  of  caution  to  ensure   the  water  in  our  schools  is  safe.  The  28  schools  were  chosen  based  on  criteria  that  includes  the  age  of  the   school,  age  of  the  students  (with  priority  given  to  schools  with  pre-­‐K  programs),  presence  of  a  kitchen   (where  meals  are  prepared)  and  presence  of  pipes  that  could  need  repairs  or  replacement.  An  additional   four  schools  opted  to  also  test  their  water  alongside  this  pilot  program.  Suburban  Labs,  an  independent  lab,   analyzed  the  water  as  part  of  this  program.   The  results  of  this  pilot  program  (a  total  of  236  samples)  were  analyzed,  and  31  of  the  32  schools  had  lead   levels  under  the  EPA’s  action  level  of  15  parts  per  billion  (ppb).    The  initial  round  of  tests  at  Tanner  used   samples  of  drinking  water  from  five  locations  spread  throughout  the  school,  as  well  as  in  the  kitchen.  The   results  showed  that  the  water  in  the  kitchen  did  not  have  detectable  lead  levels,  but  in  one  of  the  tests,  a   drinking  fountain  on  the  third  floor  of  the  school  produced  a  lead  level  of  19.8  ppb,  which  exceeds  the  EPA   action  level  of  15  ppb.  As  soon  as  CPS  received  this  initial  result  on  Monday,  the  drinking  fountain  was   immediately  turned  off,  and  CPS  ordered  an  additional  round  of  testing  at  Tanner  to  survey  all  drinking   fountains  at  the  school.  After  expediting  the  test  results,  we  received  the  final  results  Thursday  evening,   which  showed  that  an  additional  two  drinking  fountains  had  lead  levels  above  15  ppb,  at  47.5  ppb  (15.8   ppb  after  the  pipe  was  flushed)  and  15  ppb  (“non  detect”  after  the  pipe  was  flushed).  These  two  fountains   were  immediately  removed.  The  final  “deep  flush”  test  showed  that  one  of  the  fountains  that  was  shut  off   had  a  lead  level  of  114  ppb,  a  likely  result  of  being  shut  off  for  several  days.   CPS  is  working  with  CPS  Facilities  Management  and  the  Chicago  Department  of  Water  Management  (DWM)   to  determine  the  precise  cause  of  the  elevated  lead  levels,  and  will  make  any  necessary  remediations  that   will  provide  a  long-­‐term  solution.   The  full  results  of  Tanner’s  tests  will  be  available  online  at  cps.edu/leadtesting  with  the  rest  of  the  school   testing  results.  Further,  as  a  result  of  the  pilot  program,  all  schools  will  be  tested  out  of  an  abundance  of   caution,  with  schools  that  have  younger  children  and  older  buildings  tested  first.                 1  of  2           Federal  guidance  indicates  that  children  under  the  age  of  six  are  at  the  highest  risk  for  harmful  lead   exposure,  and  they  can  be  exposed  to  lead  from  a  variety  of  sources,  including  paint,  soil  and  even  some   consumer  products.  If  you  are  concerned  about  your  child,  please  contact  your  child’s  physician  or  another   medical  provider  who  can  administer  a  blood  test.  The  Chicago  Department  of  Public  Health  (CDPH)’s  lead   hotline  can  address  any  health  related  questions  you  may  have;  for  questions  or  more  information,  please   call  312-­‐747-­‐5323.  For  additional  information  about  lead  and  children,  visit  www.cdc.gov/lead.     The  safety  of  your  children  is  our  highest  priority,  and  we  are  doing  everything  in  our  power  to  address  this   situation  in  a  quick  and  thorough  manner.  We  will  continue  to  keep  you  and  your  family  informed   throughout  this  process.     For  more  information,  Principal  White  will  be  holding  a  parent  meeting  on  Tuesday,  May  24  at  4:00  pm  to   answer  questions  and  discuss  next  steps.     Sincerely,       Forrest  Claypool                                                                                                          Dr.  Julie  Morita   CEO,  Chicago  Public  Schools                                                              Commissioner,  Chicago  Department  of  Public  Health                   2  of  2