What Lead Found At Trenton Public School Means For Students

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency tested two schools in December that once were the site of pottery factories in the early 1900s.

On Monday, Jan. 29, the EPA contacted the school district and said an "above normal" level of lead existed in the grass and dirt outside Ulysses S. Grant Intermediate School, according to Superintendent James Earle.

Earle said the contaminated area will be clearly condoned off with rope, tape, cones and barrels.

Students and staff will be offered testing for lead, a school district spokeswoman said.

The EPA also noted that hundreds of homes were being sampled for lead in the East Trenton area, Earle said in a message to parents.

Areas covered by concrete, asphalt (basketball courts), and buildings are not exposed to lead from the surface, he said, adding: "This exposure means that the district will restrict access to all outside uncovered surfaces at Grant."

"The district will work with the Grant administration and staff to identify safe areas for students to play outside," Earle said.

In the next few weeks, the EPA will hold a community meeting at Grant Intermediate School and will meet with staff to share official information about the next steps in remediating the surfaces around the school.

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