Page 6 - ARUBA TODAY

A6 U.S. NEWS
Wednesday 5 september 2018

Water coolers replace school drinking fountains in Detroit

By MIKE HOUSEHOLDER
Associated Press
DETROIT (AP) — Thousands
of Detroit public schools
students were told Tuesday
to drink from district-sup-
plied water coolers or bot-
tled water on the first day
of classes, after the drinking
fountains were shut off be-
cause of contaminants in
some water fixtures.
Superintendent Nikolai Vitti
said last week that elevat-
ed levels of lead or copper
were found in fixtures at
34 schools. Test results are
pending for other schools.
The discovery of contami-
nated water in Detroit’s
schools follows a lead-taint-
ed water crisis in Flint, Michi- A bottled water dispenser sits in a hallway at Gardner Elementary School in Detroit, Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2018.
gan. In 2014 and 2015, Flint Associated Press
didn’t properly treat corro- declared safe. School of- added. Vitti said the cost Schools should not have water and hand sanitizers
sive water that was pulled ficials believe old fixtures, of the coolers and bottled waited until the start of the to Noble Elementary-Mid-
from the Flint River. As a re- not the water source, may water will be $200,000 over school year to alert parents dle School on Detroit’s west
sult, lead in old pipes con- be to blame. two months. He’s looking about the water issues, said side Tuesday afternoon,
taminated the water going “We’re still providing wa- at developing a long-term Rhonda Walton, whose and that more would be
into homes and business- ter that we believe is safer, plan for new central wa- grandson is a kindergartner distributed to other schools
es, and it streamed from and, ultimately, we actual- ter stations at every school at Gardner. later. The American Fed-
household taps as a brown ly believe students will drink with independent piping “That’s something that eration of Teachers is pro-
and smelly fluid. more water than they did systems, Vitti said. should have been ongo- viding the water and hand
Some children in the city previously,” Vitti said Tues- But as parent Quala ing over the summer,” Wal- sanitizers. Local teachers’
were subsequently found day at Gardner Elemen- (KWAY’-luh) Bennett ton said. “They knew that union leaders are expect-
to have elevated levels of tary on Detroit’s west side. dropped two children off we had to be at school ed to meet Tuesday after-
lead in their blood, which “But this is about teaching at Gardner Elementary by today. And those issues noon with the American
can lead to developmen- and learning, not a con- Tuesday, she wondered should have been correct- Federation of Teachers to
tal delays and other health versation about water. It’s why the district only recent- ed by today.” discuss how to address the
problems. Eager to not an injustice that children ly began testing its water. Walton also said she re- safe water issue.
undergo the same health and parents have to think “I don’t understand why it’s minds her grandson not to “We see this as an effort to
and financial fallout as about quality water, but still a problem. I don’t un- drink the water. “We’re not augment what already is
Flint, officials decided no we did the overall testing to derstand why now they’re touching that water if we being provided by the dis-
students at Detroit’s 106 be transparent and be pro- checking the school sys- don’t have to,” she said. trict,” Coleman said. “It’s
public schools should be active.” “I can sleep better tem,” Bennett said. “They Ken Coleman, a spokes- our opportunity to help
subjected to drinking mains at night and actually look should have done that man for the Detroit Federa- make the school setting
water until a solution can in the mirror knowing that once the whole Flint tion of Teachers, said the a better learning environ-
be found and the water we did the right thing,” he thing happened.” Detroit union would deliver bottled ment for our students.”q