Suddenly on Friday afternoon television news vans converged on Garden City High School to jump on reports that there was a rifle range in the basement of the school. By the end of the weekend daily papers and television news shows were all reporting that in both the Garden City High School and Garden City Middle School there were raised levels of lead in the basements where 15 years earlier, students used to take target practice, as was not uncommon practice in school districts throughout the country. Before this decade's rise in school shootings, students were once taught riflery, in the spirit of the Olympic sport, and respect for these kinds of tools. Many districts continue to teach archery and fencing, but with rising sentiment against firearms, most schools discontinued their riflery clubs and units in their physical education programs. While the ranges are no longer used, the lead levels in the basements remain, and concern parents.

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Stephen Leitman took time on Monday afternoon, as this paper was going to press, to provide an update on the status of the issue. Leitman, new to the district this year, is "working overtime," so to speak to address this issue now. He explained, "Right now we have contractors working on cleaning the basement hallway in the high school, where traces of lead were detected. The rifle range itself is completely sealed off and is not accessible to students, but it seems that by walking through the room, the lead traces were brought out into the hallway by custodial and maintenance staff. To protect their safety -- we want to err on the side of safety to ensure that our schools are safe for students, faculty, and staff -- we will have the former rifle range cleaned over the Christmas break or some time when the building will be closed for a week."

He added, "The work on cleaning the hallway in the high school began this weekend and will continue at night during the week until completed. As for the middle school, the range is completely sealed and no one ever goes in there, so for the time being it will be left as it is." Leitman also stated, "The consultant who did the testing for us, Weston, is the same group working with us on the school bond project. Again, these areas are not accessible to students, but we are aware that by staff coming out of the range area , the trace amounts of lead were carried into the hallway and are being addressed now by our contractors."

It was explained to this paper by Benjamin Vaughn, formerly serving in the United States Army (honorably discharged after 8 years of service), that bullets are made from lead, and that when the bullets hit the walls of a rifle range, they can become embedded in the concrete. Even when removed, residue from the lead bullets remain. Also, some ranges used heavy lead plating to protect the walls from the bullets, which could also leave a residue of lead. Vaughn explained that in many cases the lead is removed by chemically treating the walls with acid to dissolve the lead and remove it.

As this paper goes to press, there is a School Board meeting scheduled for Monday night, at which undoubtedly the subject will come up and be addressed again by Dr. Leitman with the Board of Education. More information on this issue will be published in the next issue of this paper.