Federal lawsuit takes legal action against Butler Area SD over lead in water supply

BUTLER COUNTY, Pa. — Two law firms joined together Tuesday to announce a class action lawsuit filed on behalf of one student against the Butler Area School District over school leaders’ knowledge of elevated lead levels in Summit Township Elementary School’s water supply.

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In the 18-page federal lawsuit, attorneys claim the district and former superintendent Dale Lemley knew students and staff were drinking tainted, toxic water for five months and failed to warn parents or protect the children.

“While this information was available to a member of the Butler County school back in August – the report was apparently made to Dr. Lemley, who was the superintendent of the Butler school system – unfortunately, the parents and students were not made aware of this dangerous condition,” said Doug Olcott, with the Dallas Hartman Law Firm.

Channel 11 News was the first to alert parents about the tainted water more than two weeks ago, and also broke news that E. coli was found in the water well that supplies the school.

The lawsuit alleges the district and the superintendent made a conscious and intentional decision not to warn students or take appropriate steps to fix the water problem. Attorneys said they are seeking more than just money.

“What is the best way to respond and make sure that the children did not intake too-dangerous levels of this lead? Are they safe now? What is the long-term impact going to be?” said attorney Brendan Lupetin, with the Meyers, Evans, Lupetin and Unatin Law Firm.

The lawsuit is also seeking medical monitoring and long-term testing to track lead levels.

When contacted Tuesday by Channel 11 News, the district’s acting superintendent and the school solicitor said they had not yet seen the lawsuit and could not comment.

Cox Media Group