Students Need A Drink — Of Water

Amid school-shooting threats and fights in the halls, New Haven Public School (NHPS) students are wrestling with a more prosaic concern these days: They’re thirsty.

Most public schools have no drinking water available because of the pandemic.

High School in the Community senior Anthony Fiore offered that observation at the last Board of Education meeting of the year. 

Fiore, a student representative on the board, had previously informed his colleagues of a lack of drinking water. School water fountains have been closed for use since students returned in person last winter and spring for the 2020 – 2021 school year, and now this academic year as well. At Monday night’s board meeting, he said the problem remains unaddressed, and some kids’ throats are parched.

He was promised that water is on its way. In February.

Incoming teachers union President Leslie Blatteau said the system should act more quickly to provide drinking water to students, which she called a ​“basic human right.”

To keep students socially distanced, from removing their masks in crowded hallways, and from drinking from the same machines without keeping track of disinfecting, the school system closed water fountains at all schools in response to the pandemic. 

During a September meeting Fiore asked NHPS’ administration for a time frame of when schools like his own can expect to have bottle filler stations so students can stay hydrated.

Two weeks into the school year Fiore reported seeing students sharing water bottles and drinks due to the lack of access to fountains. 

At the time NHPS Chief of Operations Thomas Lamb provided Fiore with an update that a bottler filler prototype was ordered to first see the type that is needed to fit all the schools plumbing systems. 

“The initial prototype that was sent doesn’t fit them all, so we needed to source another one,” Lamb said at the meeting three months ago. 

Lamb promised in November that the machines would come ​“definitely within the year.” 

Fast forward to Monday. Fiore brought up the issue again after hearing more concerns raised from his peers about the issue. Still no fillers have been installed.

"Not As Easy As Going To Stop & Shop"

“It’s a travesty,” Fiore said. ​“They [students] have gym class and they cannot drink water.” 

In response , Superintendent Iline Tracey said that getting water to students has been difficult because of supply chain problems and because the district must go through a bidding and order process.

“It’s not as easy as going to Stop & Shop and pick up bottles of waters,” Tracey said. 

Lamb said the district’s first batch of 60 bottle filling stations is scheduled to arrive Feb. 1. 

The district ordered a bottle filler model on Oct. 27. It took a month to arrive. After waiting a month, Lamb discovered the model did not fit all of the schools’ plumbing systems. 

In November another prototype model was ordered and put in Wilbur Cross High School’s atrium. 

As of Nov. 10, 60 filler machines have been ordered using federal ​“ESSER II’ pandemic relief funds, Lamb said. The filler stations will be put in each school, not in replacement of water fountains but in addition to them, once the district decides to allow use of them again. 

Once the first order arrives in February, Lamb and his team plan to work with the superintendent’s team to make a schedule for installing at least one at each school. 

After the first round of installations, the district plans to order a second batch to install a second machine in larger schools.

“Given the delay in installing water refill stations, we must work collaboratively to address this concern immediately,” stated Blatteau of the teachers union. ​“We are eager to see these stations installed as soon as possible. In the meantime, students need access to water. The district must provide a stopgap measure and provide all schools with bottled water, water coolers, disposable cups, and/or reusable water bottles.”

Passing Out After Gym

Since the closure of water fountains Fiore has ditched bringing 16.9‑ounce water bottles to school and instead invested in a half-gallon reusable water bottle. 

A friend of Fiore passed out after gym class due to dehydration, he said. 

“The lack of water is perpetuating the Covid problem,” Fiore said. ​“It’s not only not ideal; it’s dangerous to not have water for the students.” 

Since then, HSC educators have invested in buying each of the students a personal water jug to use throughout the day. Fiore said he feels it should not be the teachers’ responsibility to buy bottles and get students water. 

Several students from other schools told Fiore that the wait for bottle filling stations is getting tiring, he said. 

“The longer that we don’t have water, the longer schools aren’t going to run how they should,” he said. 

At The One Wet School

At dismissal at Wilbur Cross Tuesday, several students said the lack of water fountains doesn’t affect them too much during the day. Wilbur Cross has had the prototype bottle filler installed since November. 

Junior Yandries Marcano, 17, said he doesn’t bring a water bottle to school and usually waits to go buy a drink after school. 

Freshman Ghost Gillmore, 15, usually brings a water bottle to school. On days she forgets, like Tuesday, she gets cups from the nurse to use at the filler station. 

In addition to water talk, Gillmore said the school removed all the exterior doors of the girls bathrooms last week because students got caught smoking inside. 

“They should give us back our bathroom door,” Gillmore said. ​“The girls don’t get enough privacy.” 

Sophomore Perneol, 15, said he occasionally uses the station but mostly waits to drink water when he gets home. ​“If I was at home I would drink water throughout the day, but here it’s cause I don’t have access and don’t have a water bottle,” he said. 

He said he’s OK with waiting to get a drink when he gets home. 

Sophomore Enija Jones, 15, said she brings a water bottle or buys water at lunch or from the vending machines. 

Meanwhile, Drugs & Unease Abound At ESUMS

During Monday night’s Board of Ed meeting’s public comment segment, ESUMS freshman Robert Simon said his school’s middle schoolers have a ​“massive drug problem.” 

He said the bathrooms and hallways reek of weed on a daily basis.

“It’s ridiculous the lack of security Simon said. ​“In a populous city such as New Haven that getting these shooter threats there should be more things in place to prevent drugs and weapons from getting into our school.” 

He suggested security do more ​“frivolous checks” and get metal detector wands. 

Fiore agreed with Simon and added that he hears from students about the drug problem in schools. 

“You do smell drugs in the halls, and it’s pretty disgusting,” Fiore said.

During his student report, he added that he has had some ​“pretty bad anxiety” since the threats were phoned in to schools last week. He said he would have liked a mental health day for schools after the incidents. A friend of his had an anxiety attack after the incident due to stress and feelings of unsafety, he said. 

“I understand why we didn’t have a mental health day, but I think it would have been the better decision to do so,” he said.

As a result of the recent gun threats, Fiore said ​‚students have told him that they don’t think school security officers do an efficient enough job with checking student bags. 

“A lot of the students I talk to don’t feel safe with the security that we have right now,” he said.