INDIANAPOLIS — IPS, in partnership with the Marion County Public Health Department, IPS, the Greater Indianapolis NAACP and WTLC AM-FM, will be offering free lead testing throughout May at schools.
Lead is a toxic metal and can cause serious damage to a child’s developing brain. Children are exposed to lead primarily from paint and dust in homes and buildings built before 1978. Lead exposure can also come from drinking water that runs through lead pipes, contaminated soils, and some consumer products. No amount of lead is safe for children.
Free testing will be offered at all IPS schools during the week and parents must give their permission. The test involves collecting a small amount of blood through a skin prick. Upcoming testing will be done on May 13 at Julian School 57, IPS/Butler University Lab 60; May 14 at Lowell School 51, Merideth Nicholson School 96 on May 15, Louis B. Russell Jr. School 48 and James Whitcomb Riley School 43 on May 20; James A. Garfield School 31 and Lew Wallace School 107 on May 21; on Ma 28, Brochhausen School 88 and Arlington Woods School 99; on May 29 at Brookside School 54 and Joyce Kilmer School 69.
Children who attend mayor-sponsored charter schools will also be offered free lead testing in kindergarten and first grade, through a resolution adopted earlier this year by the City-County Council and signed by Mayor Joe Hogsett.
Children with elevated lead levels will receive further assistance from the Marion County Public Health Department.