Water coolers replace school drinking fountains in Detroit
DETROIT (AP) – Thousands of Detroit public schools students are being told to drink from district-supplied water coolers or bottled water on the first day of classes.
Superintendent Nikolai Vitti said last week that all fountains would be shut down at the start of the school year after elevated levels of lead or copper were found in some fixtures in 34 schools. Test results are pending for other schools.
Lead was found leaching from aging pipes into homes in Flint, Michigan, several years ago. As parent Quala (KWAY’-luh) Bennett dropped two children off at Gardner Elementary Tuesday, she wondered why the district only recently began testing its water.
A student gets water from a cooler in the hallway at Gardner Elementary School in Detroit, Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2018. Some 50,000 Detroit public school students will start the school year Tuesday by drinking water from coolers, not fountains, after the discovery of elevated levels of lead or copper – the latest setback in a state already dealing with the consequences of contaminated tap water in Flint and other communities. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
The Detroit Federation of Teachers union says it will supplement the district’s efforts by delivering bottled water and hand sanitizers to schools.
A bottled water dispenser sits in a hallway at Gardner Elementary School in Detroit, Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2018. Some 50,000 Detroit public school students will start the school year Tuesday by drinking water from coolers, not fountains, after the discovery of elevated levels of lead or copper – the latest setback in a state already dealing with the consequences of contaminated tap water in Flint and other communities. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
A dry water fountain is shown at Gardner Elementary School in Detroit, Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2018. Some 50,000 Detroit public school students will start the school year Tuesday by drinking water from coolers, not fountains, after the discovery of elevated levels of lead or copper – the latest setback in a state already dealing with the consequences of contaminated tap water in Flint and other communities. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Bottled water on a cooler is shown in the hallway at Gardner Elementary School in Detroit, Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2018. Some 50,000 Detroit public school students will start the school year Tuesday by drinking water from coolers, not fountains, after the discovery of elevated levels of lead or copper – the latest setback in a state already dealing with the consequences of contaminated tap water in Flint and other communities. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
A student holds a cup for water dispensed from a cooler in the hallway at Gardner Elementary School in Detroit, Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2018. Some 50,000 Detroit public school students will start the school year Tuesday by drinking water from coolers, not fountains, after the discovery of elevated levels of lead or copper – the latest setback in a state already dealing with the consequences of contaminated tap water in Flint and other communities. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
A bottled drinking water dispenser sits in the hallway at Gardner Elementary School in Detroit, Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2018. Some 50,000 Detroit public school students will start the school year Tuesday by drinking water from coolers, not fountains, after the discovery of elevated levels of lead or copper – the latest setback in a state already dealing with the consequences of contaminated tap water in Flint and other communities. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
A faculty member gets a cup for bottled water at Gardner Elementary School in Detroit, Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2018. Some 50,000 Detroit public school students will start the school year Tuesday by drinking water from coolers, not fountains, after the discovery of elevated levels of lead or copper – the latest setback in a state already dealing with the consequences of contaminated tap water in Flint and other communities. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
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