High lead levels at Yellowknife schools were first detected months before parents were notified
In an email, the N.W.T. Department of Education, Culture and Employment said it received its initial test results for water at École William McDonald Middle School and Range Lake North School on Jan. 22. It consulted with the office of the chief public health officer and did a second round of testing. The results were confirmed on April 4.
"Parents were informed once sufficient information had been gathered to provide a clear and accurate update. That said, further testing is still required to confirm actual risk level within those locations," the department stated.
Parents and staff at the two schools were notified by Yellowknife Education District No. 1 of the issue on Monday.
Lead levels in École William McDonald's drinking water were detected at 0.00903 milligrams per litre, while Range Lake School's levels were 0.025 milligrams per litre. Canada's drinking water guidelines state the maximum acceptable level is 0.005 milligrams per litre.
The department said following the confirmation tests in April, it has been working with the office of the chief public officer "to interpret the results, determine appropriate next steps, and plan for additional sampling to fully understand the extent of the issue."
CBC has asked the department to expand on why it waited nearly two months after results were confirmed to turn off the water and inform parents.
Both schools are now undergoing "system-wide" testing, said Education Minister Caitlin Cleveland in a statement Wednesday night, and a third-party review will be done of the situation.
In that statement, Cleveland said she is "deeply concerned" about the lead levels, which she said she first found out about Monday evening.
"I take this situation extremely seriously," she stated.
While she did not commit to making the review itself public, she said she would report publicly on what is learned through that review and how the department will respond.
"While I won't pre-judge the outcome of that review, I want to be clear: this situation is unacceptable. Parents deserve peace of mind, and students and staff deserve safe learning environments. I will do everything necessary to help restore that trust," she wrote.
The territory's chief public health officer was not made available for an interview. In an email, the Department of Health and Social Services also refused interviews, stating Cleveland's department was "taking the lead" on responses to media.
The education department did not make someone available for an interview Tuesday or Wednesday. Cleveland was not made available for an interview Wednesday.
In an emailed response to questions from CBC, the department said nearly all the territory's schools have either had or are having testing being done, with the exception of Įtłʼǫ̀ School in Yellowknife, Chief Albert Wright School in Tulit'a and Chief T'Selehye School in Fort Good Hope.
Those three schools are not being tested because they are newer buildings and construction standards changed before they were built.
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