PennEnvironment Offers Tools Parents, Teachers Can Use To Protect Their Children From The Recent Rollback Of Lead Reporting Standards For Drinking Water In Schools; DEP Offers School Water Lead Testing

On July 23, Spotlight PA reported statewide school board and school official associations lobbied for and got a rollback of lead in school drinking water reporting requirements as part of the recently passed state budget.

State law does not require schools to test for lead, as long as the topic is discussed at a public meeting annually. But if schools do test, they were previously required to report any finding above zero to the state so the results could be posted publicly.

The new provision, quietly inserted in the final 48 hours of budget negotiations earlier this month, requires schools that test to report lead levels above five parts per billion.

Lawmakers passed the change after several statewide associations representing school boards, principals, and other school officials complained to education leaders that the state's prior lead testing requirements were unrealistic, according to records reviewed by Spotlight PA.

Click Here for a copy of the school officials letter lobbying for the change.  

Lead Testing Results

"The health risks posed by lead are crystal clear, and health experts agree that lead is unsafe at any level. This is why it is so crucial to tackle this pervasive threat in the place where our children spend many of their waking hours–in our school buildings," said David Masur, Executive Director, PennEnvironment.

Under most circumstances, school districts have been required to test, report and remediate for lead in school drinking water for nearly eight years.

Click Here for a chart of recent self-reported test results for lead in school drinking water from school districts across the state for 2025. [Expand Exel cells to review data.]

"If you don’t see your school district listed in the Excel file, it likely means the district is in violation of state law," said Masur.

A 2024 study by the PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center showed that these types of violations were common.

Lead In School Drinking Water Toolkit

To help parents protect their children, PennEnvironment is offering a lead in school drinking water for parents and teachers that contains key facts and sources of information on this issue.

DEP Lead Testing

The Department of Environmental Protection is offering lead testing of water through a technical assistance contractor is offering lead sampling for public schools and public or private child care facilities.  

Click Here for more information.

Visit DEP’s Lead In School Drinking Water webpage for more information.

NewsClip:

-- Spotlight PA: PA Budget Quietly Relaxed A Standard For Lead Reporting In Schools; Issues With The Law Go Much Deeper

[Posted: August 3, 2026]  PA Environment Digest