Petition Calls For Lifting Ban On Bottled Water At School

HICKORY FLAT, GA -- A petition has been created urging Dean Rusk Middle School to lift a ban prohibiting students from carrying water throughout the day, a decision the school district said was necessary to protect some high-value technology available for the students.

The petition, which has about 170 signatures as of Tuesday afternoon, calls for allowing students at the school to "be able to drink water throughout the day at school."

"We must team together and come up with a solution to get the administration to allow water back at Dean Rusk Middle School," the petition states. "Nothing is more important than the health and well being of our youth."

However, according to the Cherokee County School District, students are given ample water breaks throughout the day.

Here's how this happened. Several of the system's 1:1 laptop initiative schools experienced "issues" with bottled water and other drinks causing damage to laptops in the classrooms, Jacoby said.

The 1:1 program provides students with mobile devices as part of their lessons in the classrooms.

These schools, system spokesperson Barbara Jacoby said, have implement these rules to deter damage in the future.

According to one parent who shared an email from a Dean Rusk administrator, drink bottles, food and gum have also resulted in spilled liquids on the devices as well as food crumbs and gum on the furniture and floor.

The spills in the stairwells, hallways, elevators and other areas also "become an immediate danger to students moving in these areas and result in consistent calls to custodial staff for clean-ups," the note reads.

The email also notes the policy of not allowing students to carry drink bottles, food or gum of any kind in the building went into effect Monday, Oct. 10. The ban also encompasses Yeti cups, Tervis cups or any other reusable or disposable containers.

Any student who brings a lunch to school can bring an unopened drink. However, that drink has to remain in that student's lunch box until his or her's assigned lunch time. That drink has to be opened in the cafeteria, and the student can only consume it there before leaving the lunch room.

Jacoby added school administrators are working with parents "who have concerns" about the new rules.

She also said the system's School Operations Department is helping administrators explain the need for the rule to parents by sharing a message that reads, in part:

“As a follow up to the previous communication regarding open drink containers and food causing damage and safety issues at our school, we need to maintain the current rule. If you have concerns specific to your child’s health and his/her access to water during the school day, please do not hesitate to contact me so that individual situations can be addressed privately. While we are providing numerous water break opportunities during the day, we recognize extenuating circumstances may occur."

Tell us: should teachers and administrators allow bottled drinks and water in classrooms?

Image via Shutterstock