We are proud to share Kent School District has been awarded a $300,000 reimbursement grant from the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) to support our ongoing efforts to ensure safe drinking water in our schools.
In a recent interview with KING 5 News reporter Chris Ingalls, our Director of Facilities Gordon Cook discussed the importance of this grant and the district’s commitment to student and staff safety.
A Comprehensive and Transparent Approach
To ensure the health and safety of our students and staff, Kent School District has completed the required testing using updated protocols and worked closely with the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) to analyze results. Lead can naturally accumulate in older or infrequently used fixtures, and testing helps identify and address potential sources of exposure.
Fixtures identified as needing remediation have been identified or secured, and will be replaced or conditioned, and then will be retested by the DOH to ensure safety.
To keep our school communities informed, we provided:
A detailed letter explaining the situation.
A list of affected fixtures by room.
Public access to lead testing results posted on the Kent School District website.
In an unrelated but complementary effort, the district invested in filtered drinking fountains and water bottle filling stations across all schools during the 2024–25 school year. We also ensured bottled water was available for our younger students in classrooms where fixtures were secured.
Community Engagement and Next Steps
Mr. Cook made himself available to meet with school staff and families, answering questions and explaining the remediation process. His leadership has been instrumental in guiding this initiative with transparency and care. Another update to the affected school communities is planned after school starts.
The district is expected to complete the work during the 2025–26 school year across all 35 affected schools. Until then, to ensure health and safety, secured fixtures will remain out of use, and bottled water will continue to be provided to younger students who cannot easily access the filtered drinking fountains and water bottle filling stations.
We are grateful to OSPI for this grant and to our facilities and maintenance team for their dedication to creating a safe learning environment for all.