Lead was found in water sources across the state's largest school districts after testing began sporadically in 2016 in response to the Flint water crisis.

Atlanta Public Schools began testing for lead in water in all their schools in early 2016. By that fall, the DeKalb County School District was testing, too.

While the state of Georgia doesn’t require testing yet, APS and DeKalb officials said they took their cue from national stories as school districts across the country began looking at their water for issues.

Some, like Gwinnett and Cobb counties, did spot testing after other metro Atlanta districts decided to check all school buildings.

Some schools will never be checked, with districts citing updated water systems and public water systems that flow into their schools. Scientists say more needs to be done to protect students.

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