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This NJ school district plans to test all of its students for lead
Water typically leaves a treatment plant lead free. It's on its way to your home that lead gets into your water. Sean Heisey
FREEHOLD - Freehold Borough's school district plans to screen all of its students for lead exposure this year, expanding a program the district and the local health officers started with children up to age 6.
Superintendent Rocco Tomazic said Monday night that the K-8 school district and the Freehold Township Health Department plan to expand the program after a local coalition called Neighborhood Connections to Health was offered funding from the Nicholson Foundation, a Newark-based nonprofit.
Health officials say there is no "safe" level of lead. Prolonged exposure can cause long-lasting physical and mental damage to a child.
State law requires doctors to flag infants and young children whose lead levels are at or above 5 micrograms per deciliter.
The funding offer comes three months after the health department sent officials to screen elementary school students up to age 6 for signs of lead exposure. Only a handful were found to have elevated lead levels.
"We've probably helped (with the grant) in that in the sense that the Nicholson Foundation was impressed that the Freehold Health Department and the school district are working so closely to test students for lead poisoning," Tomazic said.
Tomazic and health officers launched the lead testing in June after working together on the grassroots coalition's subcommittee on preventing lead poisoning. The coalition, which has dozens of volunteers, is drafting projects to improve walkability and bicycling, access to healthy food, lead prevention and intergenerational activities in the borough.
Tomazic said a $500,000 grant to the Nicholson Foundation is pending. The funding is designed to help the group to become a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
He also said the coalition plans to offer free risk assessments to any resident in the borough who is interested. Typically risk assessments are only offered after a child has tested positive for lead poisoning or other signs of severe exposure.
Rachel Cahill, a senior program officer at the Nicholson Foundation, confirmed that a grant is pending.
"The Nicholson Foundation is excited to branch into a new community in New Jersey in its efforts to support vulnerable populations," she said. The foundation has previously funded health coalitions in Newark, Camden, Trenton and Passaic, she said.
Representatives from the coalition could not immediately be reached for comment.
The school district of nearly 1,700 is one of the most underfunded and overtaxed in New Jersey, according to the state's school funding formula.
A last-minute school funding deal in June led to a $3.1 million increase in funding for Freehold Borough Schools. Over the previous decade, it's funding remained flat despite increases in student enrollment.
The majority of students identify as Hispanic and about 80 percent of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, a marker of low-income status, according to school figures.
Why that matters? About 85 percent of the housing stock in Freehold Borough was built before 1978, when the federal government banned the use of lead-based paint, and could be at risk for lead contamination.
Health officials hope to raise awareness among working families who might not have been tested, including those who don't have insurance, don't drive or don't have legal immigration status.
"The actual screening in Freehold Borough has not been as robust as it needs to be," said Margaret Jahn said, a Freehold Township health officer.
"We know there's a risk, but I don't believe we have a true indication of what hazards may be out there and the kids being exposed to that," she added.
Local health officials also expressed concerns about local stores that could be selling candies imported from Mexico that contain traces of lead, particularly in chili powder or tamarind.
Store owners don't necessarily know whether a candy contains lead, and there's no easy way for the average person to spot or taste the substance, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Lead can make its way into the candy when ingredients aren't properly dried, stored or ground. Lead can also be found on the ink on plastic or paper wrappers and can seep through into the candy.
In June, the school district and health department screened more than 60 students up to age 6 after parents signed permission slips. Only a few children tested above 5 deciliters, including one who was later deemed a "false positive," Jahn said at the time.
"Is it going to be that percentage with the older kids? Is it less? Is it more?" Tomazic asked.
He said the school district plans to send out permission slips and announcing testing dates during the 2018-19 school year so local officials can get those answers.
Steph Solis: @stephmsolis; 732-403-0074; email@example.com