The Latest: Employee placed on leave over school lead levels

TACOMA, Wash. – The Latest on tests that showed high levels of lead at two Tacoma elementary schools (all times local):

7 p.m.

Officials say a Tacoma School District manager has been put on paid administrative leave after it was discovered Friday that tests done nearly a year ago showed high lead levels in drinking water at two public elementary schools.

District spokesman Dan Voelpel said Monday that the district’s safety and environmental health manager was placed on leave.

Officials haven’t said why the test results were not reviewed and shared with the public last year.

The water in two schools when tested last year had lead levels up to 116 times higher than a district standard allows.

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4:35 p.m.

Authorities say the two public elementary schools in Tacoma found last year to have high levels of lead in their drinking water contained up to 116 times more lead than a district standard allows.

A statement Monday from the school district said 39 of 59 drinking sources tested at Reed Elementary school showed lead levels ranged from five parts per billion (ppb) to 2330 ppb. Dan Voelpel, a spokesman for the district, said the district standard is 20 ppb or less.

At Mann Elementary, the 23 of 69 tested water sources at the school had lead levels above 20 ppb.

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11:42 a.m.

Two public elementary schools in Tacoma found high levels of lead in their drinking water last May.

Tacoma Public Schools announced the test results and informed parents and staff at Mann and Reed elementary schools on Monday after officials reviewed the past tests on Friday night, according to Dave Wilkins, a spokesman for the district. Wilkins said it wasn’t immediately known why earlier action was not taken on the test results, which found “higher than accepted” levels of lead.

Wilkins said the district retested water systems at the schools this weekend, blocked off drinking fountains and ordered bottled water. He added the district will conduct an audit of all past water quality tests at every school.

Results for the new tests at Mann and Reed are still being processed.