The Associated Press DETROIT (AP) — Thousands of Detroit public schools students were told Tuesday to drink from district-supplied water coolers or bottled water on the first day of classes, after the drinking fountains were shut off because of contaminants in some water fixtures.
The discovery of contaminated water in Detroit’s schools follows a lead-tainted water crisis in Flint, Michigan.
Some children in the city were subsequently found to have elevated levels of lead in their blood, which can lead to developmental delays and other health problems.
"We’re still providing water that we believe is safer, and, ultimately, we actually believe students will drink more water than they did previously," Vitti said Tuesday at Gardner Elementary on Detroit’s west side.
But 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.
I don’t understand why now they’re checking the school system," Bennett said.
"They should have done that once the whole Flint thing happened."
Detroit Schools should not have waited until the start of the school year to alert parents about the water issues, said Rhonda Walton, whose grandson is a kindergartner at Gardner.
And those issues should have been corrected by today."
The American Federation of Teachers is providing the water and hand sanitizers.