Nearly Half of Pasadena Unified Schools Found with Contaminated Soil

District discovers dangerous levels of lead and arsenic months after students return

A new report from the Los Angeles Times, co-authored by Noah Haggerty, reveals that 11 out of 23 Pasadena Unified School District schools have soil contaminated with hazardous levels of lead and arsenic. These findings come months after students returned to campuses following the Eaton Fire.

Blair High School’s tennis courts showed lead levels more than three times the state’s threshold. San Rafael Elementary had arsenic readings of 92 mg/kg, far above LA County’s 12 mg/kg safety level.

“If, literally, you’ve got to walk by lead to walk up the steps to school, then how many kids are walking through that with their shoes and then walking into the classroom?”
— Nicole Maccalla, EFRU

Parents, educators, and community members are asking why this wasn’t tested soonerand why students weren’t protected immediately. The district plans to restrict access to contaminated areas and begin remediation over the summer, but families are asking: why wait?

We thank Noah Haggerty and the LA Times team for continuing to follow this story with care and urgency. The coverage helps hold our institutions accountable and amplifies what residents have been raising for months.

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Nearly half of Pasadena Unified schools have contaminated soil, district finds