CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - A week after lead paint was discovered at a Bridgeport elementary school, parents and teachers are demanding more testing.
Special education teacher Kelly Harmon said chipping paint has been a problem at McClellan Elementary since October, to the point that teachers used their own lead testing kits and found three classrooms were positive, a number she said was initially disputed by CPS.
“Two of the other rooms actually had people in it, one of those classrooms was a first grade classroom, so from 7:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., those students were in classrooms with positive lead,” Harmon said.
Parent Lupe Tapia is among many at the 141-year-old school demanding accountability.
“I await blood test results if any damage has been done to my already neurologically vulnerable child who has been at McClellan for seven years and might have ingested dust particles with lead, Tapia said.
Cindy Goga has an immunocompromised sixth grader at McClellan and said she and other parents’ concerns about peeling paint have been ignored.
“Every morning parents come to the school and we drop our students off, thinking they’re going to be safe and well taken care of. So, imagine our dismay when we found out that the building itself was dangerous,” Goga said.
Chicago Teachers Union Vice President Jackson Potter accuses CPS of dragging its feet and says teachers went out and bought their own lead testing kits.
Related
“They have mental health interventions. They help with academic development, social emotional learning, and now they’re being asked to be doctors, engineers, facilities experts, what’s next?” Potter asked.
CPS told the Sun-Times all classrooms in the 141-year-old building will be tested for lead over the upcoming winter break.
Listen to WBBM Newsradio now on Audacy!
Sign up and follow WBBM Newsradio
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram