Pennsylvania leads the nation in the number of schools and day cares with water containing high levels of lead, according to a recent USA Today report.

The report only included water systems that tested above the 15 parts per billion level.No public school districts in the area made the list, but Youth Forestry Camp No. 2, a 49-bed facility for adjudicated delinquent boys within Hickory State Park, tested at 27 parts per billion.According to the Environmental Protection Agency, lead can enter drinking water when service pipes that contain lead corrode, especially where the water has high acidity or low mineral content that corrodes pipes and fixtures.Lehighton Area School District was not on the list, but Superintendent Jonathan Cleaver said last week the district keeps a watchful eye on its test results."We have three buildings that are part of a monthly testing requirement for us," he told the board of directors during its most recent meeting. "The reason they are part of the process is that they are on wells."The buildings are East Penn Elementary, Mahoning Elementary and a field house in the lower lot of the middle school."We test the levels of chloroform, nitrate, lead and copper in the water," Cleaver said."That testing is completed and reported to the Pennsylvania Department of Education."Other buildings in the district use "city water," Cleaver said, and the testing is handled by the individual treatment plants.Newark School District in New Jersey began voluntary blood tests last week to check students for the presence of lead after reports showed elevated levels in the water.Children are most susceptible to the dangers of exposure to lead in water, which can lead to a variety of problems from intestinal issues to brain damage.With 18 Pennsylvania cities testing higher than Flint, Michigan, for elevated blood lead levels, and a growing chorus of evidence indicating a worsening statewide lead problem, Sen. Democratic Appropriations Committee Chairman Vince Hughes, several of his Senate Democratic colleagues, and state health officials Thursday offered a package of bills to help address the issue.State Sen. John Yudichak introduced a bill this week that would create a task force to study the scope of the lead issue, including an accounting of the age of the state's housing stock, pipelines, school buildings and day care centers. It would also study best practices and make recommendations."In 2014, I sponsored legislation that was enacted to reduce the levels of lead in drinking water. It is a critical public health and environmental issue. We need to be doing everything we can to reduce the public's exposure to lead," Yudichak said. "That is why I am introducing SB 1173. This task force would look at all the pathways that the public can be exposed to lead and make recommendations as to how we can reduce the risk of lead exposure."Other bills include requiring every school building to be tested (water, paint, soil) for lead before a school year begins, lead testing in day care centers licensed by the state Department of Human Services, any agreement of sale for real property in the commonwealth to include an option to have the water tested for lead, and creating a "Superfund for Lead Abatement" that could be used by schools, day care centers and other organizations to defray lead remediation costs."It's definitely one of the hot topics in the news right now," Cleaver said. "We feel confident here at Lehighton that we go above and beyond to make sure we're keeping everyone safe."