“The school is like a second home, so we wanted to do something that would benefit not just the current students, but all the students to come,” said Jessica Tapia, 18, last year’s student government secretary who graduated in June and attends York College.
“They have water fountains, but the water is not clean.
“The students and parents of The International High School @ Prospect Heights still believe in the American Dream,” a fundraising flyer read.
Last week, the city Department of Education said 391 schools — about a quarter of all campuses — still have 1,165 water outlets with lead above 15 ppb.
Last year, 83 percent of schools had fixtures with lead-tainted water.
At International HS, lab tests on Aug. 16 found lead levels of 15.9 ppb and 17 ppb coming out of the brand-new $5,100 water station, records show.
Students told The Post they still avoid the old fountains, instead paying $1 to $1.50 a day for bottled water.
“I just don’t like the taste of it.” Fellow senior Paola Arroyo, 17, who also pitched in, said water from the old fountains “tastes kind of weird.” But when her bottle is empty, she has no choice.
“If you’ re thirsty, you don’t think about it — you just drink it,” she said.
Chancellor Richard Carranza said in a statement, “Water in New York City schools is safe for students and staff to drink, and all fixtures in DOE schools currently in use for cooking or drinking tested within the state’s standard.