Teachers at Oakland middle school raise money for water bottles to help kids safely drink water

"The Oakland Unified School District said that the school year was off to a great start and that kids and staff members were drinking water from more than 230 FloWater and other water dispensing machines across the district, adding that more 40,000 reusable bottles were delivered to schools. FloWaters dispense purified water and claims its machines remove 99.9% of contaminants."

"We've been told to rely on a station called a FloWater. A FloWater is not a drinking tap. It is just a stream that comes down. So you need a bottle to put it under, said McMichael of why students needed water bottles. So it's somewhat of an inadequate situation, especially for Title I schools where the majority of our students are in poverty to be providing their own water bottles."

Several Oakland Unified schools continue to face unsafe drinking water, prompting staff to take independent action. United For Success Academy staff raised over $2,300 via GoFundMe to buy aluminum bottles for more than 360 students and held a personalization event. The district reports more than 230 FloWater and other dispensing machines and delivery of over 40,000 reusable bottles, with FloWater claiming removal of 99.9% of contaminants. United For Success did not receive the district bottles, and its three FloWater machines are often overwhelmed or malfunctioning, raising equity concerns for Title I students who cannot easily provide bottles.

Read at ABC7 San Francisco