Students in the Detroit Public Schools Community District won’t be drinking from the fountain at school anytime soon, as they will be using bottled water and water coolers. The decision was made after tests showed elevated levels of lead or copper in some schools. Superintendent Dr. Nikolai Vitti told Michigan News Network this week it’s better to be safe than sorry.
“I’d rather be precautious and use the strategy of using water coolers and water bottles so our children can focus on teaching and learning, and so our faculty can do the same and not worry about the quality of water,” Vitti said.
Detroit isn’t the first major school district to switch to bottled water. The school district in Portland, Oregon turned off fixtures in 2016. Fountains in the Baltimore district have been closed for over a decade.
