The crisis that began unfolding in Flint, Mich., in 2014 provided a tragic reminder of the dangers of lead exposure. The drinking water of an entire city had been contaminated with lead. More than 8,000 children under the age of six drank lead-contaminated water.

Now we know this toxic threat extends well beyond Flint.

Even the limited available data shows drinking water laced with lead at schools and early childhood programs across the country, in big cities but also in suburban and rural communities. Lead is so toxic that experts recommend a health standard of 1 part per billion. One drinking water fountain at a Montessori school in Cleveland had 1,560 parts per billion. A school in the Chicago suburbs had lead-water concentrations at 212 times the federal standard. Leicester Memorial Elementary in Massachusetts had a tap that tested at 22,400 ppb.

In all likelihood, these confirmed cases only scratch the surface of this problem. Most schools have at least some lead in their pipes, plumbing or fixtures. And where there is lead, there is risk of contamination.

The only way to ensure safe drinking water for our children is to “get the lead out” of our schools and pre-schools. This involves proactively removing lead-bearing parts from schools’ drinking water systems—from service lines to faucets and fixtures—and installing filters certified to remove lead at every tap used for drinking or cooking.

These steps cost money, but our children's health is worth it. To convince state and local leaders to act, we’re running a joint campaign with Environment America to raise awareness, especially among parents and parent-teacher associations; doctors, nurses and other healthcare givers; and elected officials themselves.

In 2018, after months of CALPIRG advocacy, the Oakland Unified School District approved a policy that expands lead testing and requires school action when outlets test positive for 5 parts per billion of lead. We’re pushing Oakland to go even further, and we’re calling on other school districts to take strong action to prevent lead exposure.

In the meantime, untold numbers of kids are going to school and drinking water with lead in it. When we get lead out of a child’s water, we make that child’s future brighter and healthier. That’s something worth paying for.