Educators association, clean water groups make efforts for clean water before school begins

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) – Concerns for safe drinking water when classes start back has led the New Hanover County educators association to team with the district to get safe water in at risk schools.

Several Wilmington schools will accept bottled water donations once the bell rings Monday. While progress is being made to secure safe water in New Hanover County schools, an effort is crossing the river to have schools over in Brunswick County to provide safe drinking water.

“The children are our future and if we don’t protect our future than there is no future, says NHCAE president Sarah Bailey.

Months of working with the New Hanover County school system has led Bailey and the county association of educators to begin that new initiative.

“We need to meet the needs of our children and offer them an alternative source of water without parents having to take on that financial burden,” Bailey says.

They want to solve that with bottled water. Schools like New Hanover high, Freeman, Howe, Gregory and Williston are accepting community donations. That’s a temporary solution while the school system awaits more information.

“We are awaiting a report and recommendations from the superintendent, from our finance officers as to what we can and cannot do,” says board of education chairman Edward Higgins.

The education board is doing that after meeting with water groups like Clean Cape Fear. That same group is now working to continue the conversation of clean water for students in Brunswick county.

“Let’s find some good viable solutions with some partners that can help us get there because the one thing we do know is the schools can’t pay for this,” says Emily Donovan who’s a member of Clean Cape Fear.

However, Brunswick schools are silencing any rumors that they will adopt a recommended reverse osmosis treatment for filtering school water. That was a proposal brought in front of the school district’s water provider, H2GO. It’s what parents like Donovan are asking for.

“i just don’t think that there is a price we can put on our children’s health.”

A sentiment shared by New Hanover school leaders as well as Bailey.

“Just one case of water will do a lot for these children,” says the educator’s association president.

Classes begin for most schools next Monday. Bailey asks any back to school drives on going and taking place over the weekend to add bottled water in the bags alongside notebooks and pencils.