By Aberdeen Insider - June 4, 2026 in ABERDEEN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT
NOTICE OF WATER TESTING RESULTS
On March 19, 2026, the Aberdeen Public Schools tested water in several of our buildings to see if any contain lead, a heavy metal that can cause health problems if ingested (swallowed). Lead was commonly used in building construction into the 1980s. All schools in South Dakota will eventually need to go through the same testing process that we did.
We have identified the following locations which contained small amounts of lead-
May Overby Elementary
-Faucets in the kitchen
-Faucets in the classrooms
Simmons Middle School
-Faucets in the kitchen
-Water fountain/water bottle filling station
Lincoln Elementary
-Faucets in the kitchen
-Faucet in a conference room
-Faucet in the teachers’ lounge
Because the level of lead found in these fixtures are so low, the EPA does not require that we replace these fixtures, however it is the Aberdeen Public Schools plan to replace these identified fixtures over the summer months of 2026.
Buildings tested to date include ATEC, Simmons Elementary, Simmons Middle School, Lincoln Elementary, May Overby Elementary, OM Tiffany Elementary, and Mike Miller Elementary. The remaining buildings will be sampled over the summer break of 2026, and communication will be distributed once results have been analyzed.
If you have questions, please contact Ben Schnell, Director of Operations, by phone at (605) 725-7100, or by email at [email protected].
For more information visit: https://doh.sd.gov/topics/diseases/infectious/sd-clppp/lead-poisoning-resources/
Published once on June 4, 2026, at the total approximate cost of $18.79 and may be viewed free of charge at www.sdpublicnotices.com and www.aberdeeninsider.com