Port Angeles School Board Approves Lead Plan After Elevated Levels Found at Three Schools

The Port Angeles School Board approved a water remediation plan Thursday after testing found elevated lead levels at nine outlets across three schools. Follow-up testing left two fixtures at Port Angeles High School above the state’s action level, with one permanently shut off and the other restricted from drinking use.

The October 8 vote followed a report from facilities director Eric Britton, who said the district replaced the nine fixtures identified in its initial testing and tested two additional locations. The district says designated drinking outlets and bottle-filling stations now test below Washington’s action level of 5 parts per billion.

The two-hour meeting also included reports on enrollment, construction and athletics, approval of two labor agreements and school improvement plans, and an announcement of a closed session to evaluate complaints involving a public officer or employee.

Lead found at nine outlets

The initial testing covered 91 drinking-water locations, Britton said. Nine had elevated results: six at Port Angeles High School, two at Dry Creek Elementary and one at Roosevelt Elementary, according to the district’s written action plan.

The highest results were 28 and 16 parts per billion at two sink taps in Room 302 of the high school’s cafeteria building. Other elevated results ranged from 6 to 12 parts per billion.

Washington law requires an action plan when school drinking water exceeds 5 parts per billion. When an outlet exceeds 15 parts per billion, the law requires the school to shut off its water as soon as practicable after receiving the result, until a mitigation measure is implemented.

Britton said the district took all nine elevated outlets out of use, including those below the 15-part threshold, and replaced additional fixtures whose results were close to the action level.

The written plan lists July 16 as the date the district received results for Dry Creek and the high school, and July 17 as the shutoff date for their affected outlets.

For Roosevelt, the plan lists receipt of results on May 21 and a June 8 shutoff date for a kitchen faucet that tested at 12 parts per billion, an 18-day interval.

September testing covered the nine replaced fixtures and two additional locations, Britton said. The district received the final follow-up results September 28.

A high-school kitchen pot-filler sprayer remained at 6 parts per billion. The final plan lists it as permanently shut off September 30. Britton said another tested water source could serve the kitchen’s kettles without a loss of operations.

The other elevated result, 10 parts per billion, came from a girls’ locker-room faucet added to the testing program as a possible location for filling athletic water containers. Britton said it was locked and marked against drinking use. Athletes could continue filling containers at a tested concessions-area outlet, he said.

Britton described the results favorably and said the work involved coordination with the state Department of Health. The board approved the plan with no opposition recorded.

Enrollment exceeds budget estimate

In the enrollment report, Greg Geyer told directors October enrollment totaled 3,144 full-time equivalents. The district’s year-to-date average was 3,125, or 37 above its budget projection.

Those figures measure full-time-equivalent enrollment rather than a simple count of individual students.

Seaview Academy accounted for much of the monthly growth, increasing from 218 full-time equivalents in September to 271 in October, Geyer said. He reported 118 out-of-district students in October.

Enrollment remained below the prior year, Geyer said, but the gap was narrowing. Running Start figures were not yet available when the report was prepared.

Separately, Long said the elementary-school advisory group examining school size and organization was expected to bring the board a plan in December. The board did not approve a school closure or consolidation at Thursday’s meeting.

Attendance and graduation priorities

Directors approved 2026–27 school improvement plans for Lincoln High School and Seaview Academy. The presentation emphasized graduation tracking, attendance and course completion.

Lincoln’s presentation described a student population with a low-income rate approaching 80 percent and emphasized the need for a smaller school with more intensive support.

At Seaview, the work includes increasing participation in state assessments and providing English and math intervention for students who are not passing. Students on track academically can participate in arts enrichment through a partnership with Field Hall’s Peninsula Performs program.

Superintendent Michelle Olsen said the two plans came before the board earlier than other schools’ plans because board approval was required to receive state school-improvement funding.

Franklin Elementary’s presentation described increased enrollment and growing special-education needs. The school began the year with 342 students, compared with about 322 at the start of the previous school year. Its number of students with individualized education programs rose from 72 to 92.

Staff outlined grant-supported work on neural education and universal design for learning, an approach intended to give students different ways to engage with lessons and demonstrate learning while maintaining academic goals. The presentation also emphasized greater involvement of students and families in shaping that work.

Construction changes athletics

Middle-school athletes continue using other facilities while construction proceeds at Hurricane Ridge Middle School.

The athletics report described football practices at Port Angeles High School, volleyball at Roosevelt Elementary and classrooms used as changing areas for some athletes. Middle-school football had 32 participants, cross-country 34 and volleyball 48.

The football schedule also has narrowed to four games against Forks. The presenter said Sequim and Blue Heron in Port Townsend were not fielding tackle-football programs this season.

The high-school athletics report included plans for a separate girls’ wrestling head-coach position as participation grows, as well as coaching changes and vacancies in several sports.

Olsen said the new middle-school gym was expected to be ready for students and instruction at the end of January 2027, with the district also hoping to have the turf field ready for student use in February.

She also reported progress on the middle school’s classrooms and locker rooms, approval of a solar-panel permit, and continuing design work for the high school and Franklin Elementary. Value-engineering plans for those two projects were expected to return to the board in December.

Other votes and a closed session

The board approved collective bargaining agreements for coaches and office professionals. Their financial terms were not described during the votes.

Directors also adopted an October Disability History Month proclamation and recognized Franklin students, school administrators, nutrition staff and transportation employees.

Near the end of the meeting, Long announced a 45-minute executive session to receive and evaluate complaints or charges against a public officer or employee.

The board’s next announced workshop is October 23 at 8 a.m. at Lincoln Center. A November 12 business meeting is scheduled for 5 p.m., followed by a 6 p.m. government-to-government meeting with the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe at the Heritage Center.