Testing underway after schools' water tests positive for lead

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — Additional testing is underway after 4 out of 5 DeKalb County schools tested positive for the presence of lead in its drinking water.

Only Channel 2 Action News is getting a look inside one of the DeKalb County schools that tested positive.

The schools are taking action to keep kids safe by shutting off the water to the fountains where the water tested positive for lead.

"I was anxious about what the result said. I was anxious about what the response would be," Kittredge Magnet School Principal Dr. Laura S. Neely said.

When some of the drinking water at Kittredge magnet school tested positive for the presence of lead, the school’s principal says she and the superintendent, jumped into action.

"The school district has shut those sources off. We have signage. They started repairs and replacements," Kittredge Magnet School’s principal Dr. Laura S. Neely said.

"We are prepared, if necessary, to close an entire school as far as water access and then we will bring in daily, if necessary bottled water," DeKalb County Schools superintendent Dr. Stephen Green said.

Superintendent Dr. Stephen Green says it probably won’t come to that, but the situation is serious.

In the latest round of school testing, four out of five DeKalb County schools tested positive for lead.

District officials tell us any water source that tests at or above EPA guidelines gets a failed test result.

We were the only station to get a tour of Kittredge School, where out of the more than 20 water sources tested, 3 tested positive for lead.

Cox Media Group