Russ Zimmer

@RussZimmer

Newark Public Schools is not the only district in New Jersey that has been forced to shut off drinking fountains because of lead-contaminated water.

Twenty-one schools or daycares in New Jersey — none in Monmouth or Ocean counties — tested above the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Safe Drinking Water standard for lead content from 2012 through 2015. Only Pennsylvania (37) and Maine (26) had more, according to a USA TODAY NETWORK analysis.

Another 13 schools in the state reported concentrations of lead above 10 parts per billion (ppb), a lower standard that the World Health Organization prefers.

Between 2013 and 2015, more than 200 schools reported lead test results to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, according to water quality data from the DEP obtained by the Asbury Park Press. These schools all had their own water systems, unlike Newark schools, which draw from their city's system.

The effects of lead exposure, which can hinder the development of a growing child's body and mind, are irreversible. Even low levels of lead in the blood have been shown "to affect IQ, the ability to pay attention and academic achievement," according to the Centers for Disease Control.

But their is no testing regimen for most schools.

The EPA estimates that about 90,000 public schools and a half-million child-care facilities are not regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act because they rely on municipal utilities for water. Those utilities are required to test for lead, but their attention isn't limited to school buildings.

EXCLUSIVE:Is your drinking water safe?

Two weeks ago, Newark schools banned consumption of their own water, opting instead to substitute bottled water or water coolers in place of water fountains.

Tap water testing in that district revealed elevated lead levels in 30 school buildings. Officials cautioned parents not to be alarmed, but also announced plans to test 17,000 children for lead poisoning.

"If you have the opportunity to change the color paint in the school, you should be able to change the plumbing. There's a lot of stuff being redone in (her school)," Nicole Holland, a parent of two children in affected schools, told NJ.com.

WATCH: How much lead in water poses an imminent threat?

Three Democrats, including New Jersey Senate President Stephen Sweeney, introduced a bill on Monday that would require all schools to test the quality of their water. The trio sent a letter to the state education commissioner asking that he compel schools to begin testing immediately.

Conley Elementary, one of two schools in a rural Hunterdon County district, exceeded the EPA threshold five times from 2012 through 2014, including one sample that was more than 10 times the acceptable limit for lead.

"We shut down our water fountains and cafeteria sinks and went to bottled water for everything, including cooking," said Edward Keegan, chief administrator of the Bethlehem Township School District.

BEYOND FLINT:Excessive lead levels found in almost 2,000 water systems across all 50 states

State regulators provided the school with a packet of information, including a notification letter and educational materials that were sent home to parents.

Initially, the school tried to address the source — degraded pipes — by adjusting the pH in the water to make the water less corrosive. Acidic water can take a toll on lead and copper pipes and fixtures, which remain common in older buildings..

That was only "partially effective," Keegan said, leading officials to decide to repipe the entire system out to the well serving the school at a cost of $187,000 — a significant expense for a district with a total annual budget of $9.1 million.

MORE: See whether your water system failed EPA lead testing

"Consequently, after many months of close monitoring, the level of lead in our water was too low to be detected by the lab and has continued to remain that way," Keegan said.

Under the proposed state legislation, $3 million would be set aside to help all districts monitor the quality of their drinking water — not just those like Bethlehem Schools, which are required to test their own systems.

“There’s a regulatory black hole when it comes to schools and day-care centers,” Yanna Lambrinidou, a Virginia Tech researcher who studies lead in water nationally, told USA Today. “In some ways, it’s an official endorsement of exposure to lead and large-scale health harms that go undetected.”

Culture shock over Orthodox sales

Russ Zimmer: 732-557-5748, razimmer@app.com