Lead In The Water

Who Shows Up, And Who Doesn't, In Mountain Of PPS Lead-Related Emails

By Rob Manning (OPB)
Portland, Oregon June 10, 2016 1:18 a.m.
A covered water fountain at Llewellyn Elementary in Sellwood, a neighborhood in Southeast Portland.

A covered water fountain at Llewellyn Elementary in Sellwood, a neighborhood in Southeast Portland.

Bradley W. Parks / OPB

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Portland Public Schools administrators have released more than 900 pages of emails detailing why, how and when they responded to parent concerns about lead in school drinking water.

PPS officials found dangerously high lead levels in the water at two schools this spring, but it took weeks for district leaders and parents to find out, and in one case, to shut off that water.
 
A handful of people figure prominently in the discussions of lead in the drinking water.

Superintendent Carole Smith is notable for her absence.

Related: Lead In The Water

On March 22, Smith was forwarded an email from her chief of staff, Amanda Whalen, which includes discussion of lead sampling done in 2001 and the costs of testing going forward.

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Whalen said that email was to determine how much money was needed to test districtwide, as Smith intended to do. Senior Manager for Environmental Health and Safety Andy Fridley was the one answering Whalen's questions, and he used current testing at Rose City Park as the basis for his cost estimates.

Neither Whalen nor Smith ever followed up to find out the lead test results from Rose City Park. But Smith did include lead testing in her budget. It appears Smith may have indeed first learned of the elevated lead levels in late May, even while principals and concerned parents had been getting lead data many weeks before.

Fridley crops up repeatedly in the email discussions. He is now on paid administrative leave, along with Chief Operating Officer Tony Magliano, while the district undergoes an outside investigation.

Magliano is mostly involved in email exchanges in late May, when the lead results were public knowledge. But Magliano shows up elsewhere, such as when he sends a message May 2, asking about lead test results from Rose City Park. Fridley responded the same day with the message he sent to Rose City Park school officials.

Related: Oregon Relies On Recommendations, More Than Requirements, In Anti-Lead Plan

But the district official who might look the worst in the emails is Fridley, the other administrator now on paid leave.

He sends several dismissive responses to parents concerned about lead.

At one point, a Rose City Park parent responsible for the original complaint emails Fridley, trying to get PPS to work aggressively to lower lead levels as far as possible. She notes that the EPA doesn't consider there to be a "safe" level for lead around children. Fridley seems to dismiss her concerns, calling her "the zero lead lady."
 
Fridley also appeared to stop pursuing fixes at Wilson High after contacting a facilities employee who said there weren't any problems. This is despite the principal and parents complaining of broken fountains and "orange" water from one of the fixtures.

Wilson High principal Brian Chatard goes over Fridley's head April 26 to complain about the lack of follow-up.

"One would think something so basic as clean, available drinking water could be easily remedied or made a higher priority," Chatard wrote.

Fridley gripes in one email, saying "I believe I have been thrown under the bus. I have not spoken with Brian [Chatard] about this ever."

Related: Why The EPA Worries About Lead In Water At Portland Schools And Day Cares

Fridley then responds formally on April 28, putting off parents and the principal until the districtwide testing after the end of the school year.

"I understand that this is not the outcome you were hoping for," Fridley wrote, "but I hope that you appreciate that I must consider the needs of the entire PPS community."

Fridley also repeatedly reassures parents and staff at other schools — such as Hayhurst, Rigler and Harrison Park — that there has been "spot checks" or regular testing of the water, and that fixtures are safe or issues have been remediated.

In late May, the district’s discomfort with past remediation efforts led to the decision to shut down all water fountains across the district and provide bottled water throughout the schools.

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