A Southeast Middle School teacher was suspended indefinitely this week after she mailed parents a letter saying the school's drinking water was contaminated with lead.

Math teacher Diana R. Williams warned parents to have their children tested and suggested the school should have informed them about the lead in the drinking water found by the Environmental Protection Agency.

School officials considered the Feb. 24 letter inflammatory, and the principal responded with her own letter to parents two days later.

"There is no danger to students or staff for exposure to lead in the water. We regret any inconvenience or unnecessary alarm resulting from the irresponsible actions of the individual who wrote the letter," Principal Jane E. Fields wrote to parents.

To alleviate parents' fears, Fields decided to turn off the last four functioning water fountains at the school and replace them with bottled water stations.

"Whatever she could do to provide an extra level of comfort to parents, she was going to do," said Vanessa Pyatt, a spokeswoman for city schools.

In 1993, the EPA required the city school system to test drinking water to ensure that students weren't being contaminated with lead, a heavy metal that can stunt mental and physical development if the child is exposed to high enough levels.

Between 25 and 30 city schools were found to have lead levels in water above the standard of 20 parts per billion, and school officials were told what they could do to ensure that students weren't exposed.

At Southeast Middle, two of the nine drinking fountains had higher than acceptable lead levels. They were turned off, and bottled water was supplied to students in their place.

Levels in several other fountains were not above the limit, but high enough that EPA advised the school to run the water each morning for 30 seconds to clear lead that builds up in water sitting in lead pipes overnight.

In the past six years, three other water fountains at the school broke, according to Pyatt, and were replaced by bottled water stations.

As of last week, the school had four bottled water stations and four fountains available for students.

The city health department surveyed the school last week and confirmed that the school was adhering to EPA recommendations, said Devon Payne-Sturges, assistant city commissioner for environmental health. "So no one should have been exposed" to lead, Payne-Sturges said.

The city will follow up by testing the water, she said.

At the bottom of her letter, Williams signed her name with the title "Lead Abatement Expert" underneath. She told parents to call the mayor's office, City Council and the superintendent's office to ask why they were not notified of the lead in the water.

Finally, she asked parents to call her for more information about their child's lead test results.

Williams could not be reached to comment yesterday.

Pyatt said Williams will not be paid during her suspension, but can appeal the school system's action.

Pub Date: 3/03/99