The results of a new mandate could force New Jersey schools to think outside the box for foodservice prep. A new order announed Monday requires all public schools in the state to test their water for lead, reports The New York Times.
The initiative, mandated by Gov. Chris Christie, comes after Newark Public Schools found that more than half of its schools have high lead levels in their water, causing the New Jersey district to shut off kitchen faucets and water fountains and provide bottled water to students, as recently reported by FSD. High lead levels recently detected at elementary schools in Hamilton, N.J., forced foodservice operations at one of the schools to be moved off-site, with only the heating of food taking place in the school, according to NJ.com.
Christie is asking the state to provide $10 million to cover the cost of testing the state's 3,000 facilities, which would begin before next school year, according to the Times.
Read the full story via The New York Times.