Kids’ Lead Poisoning Called ​“Civil Rights issue”

Some 16,600 kids in Connecticut are documented as having lead poisoning. Those are kids under the age of 6, based on a blood lead screening rate of only 25 percent. And there’s no educational guidelines from the state or federal government to assist them.

So Vivian Cross, executive director of the Foundation for Educational Advancement, told an attentive crowd of 100 at the 15th Annual African-American Women’s Summit , held at Dixwell’s Wexler-Grant School. ​“This is a civil rights issue for our kids.”

Cross was part of a panel called ​“Closing the Racial and Ethnic Disparity Gap & Pursuing Results-Based Accountability in Health, Education, Social Justice and the Political Activism.” The event took place Saturday

The statistic, taken from a report focused on lead poisoning in the state, was conducted by the Centers for Disease Control from 1997 to 2006.

“In 2006, we surveyed 26 school districts across the state,” Cross said. The survey found teachers uninformed about the lead problem. ​“They did not know there was a relationship between early childhood lead exposure and learning disabilities, criminal behavior, developmental delays and unfortunately, a higher rate of … death,” Cross said. She said she wants to see infants, toddlers, children and youth who’ve been affected by lead poisoning to receive federally-mandated services.

According to Cross’ presentation paper, 250,000 children in the United States suffer from lead poisoning. It has no obvious symptoms, and can be defined through a child having learning disabilities, being irritable, hyperactivity, or loss of appetite,

And there are no requirements for schools to be lead- safe. ​“Isn’t that ridiculous?” she asked.

Cross said the state isn’t fulfilling its duty to students to enforce the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (I.D.E.A.), which would get children the learning support and assistance they need.

“The last time we went to the state and asked them to work with us, we had the cooperation of [then] House Speaker Jim Amann,” she said. ​“Then, he retired… No one can tell us why the law isn’t being enforced.T he last time we asked the state Department of Education why they haven’t enforced the law, they’ve told us they have no money. How much money does it take for you to sit down on your butt and establish some statutes to require them to follow the law?”

The panel, sponsored by The Sojourner Network of Democratic Women, included, among others, State Sen. Toni Harp, State Rep. Toni Walker, activist Barbara Fair and Esther Armmand from the city’s Office of Alcohol and Substance Abuse. The daylong event, held annually every third weekend in March, featured workshops focusing on mind, body and spirit, a fashion show and a tribute to one of the event’s perennial co-chairs, the late Zannette Lewis.