Today is National Healthy Schools Day! Take action for safe and appealing water in schools

More than 50 organizations and agencies across the country – including the National Drinking Water Alliance - are celebrating National Healthy Schools Day today. National Healthy Schools Day recognizes the work being done by organizations across the United States to ensure a healthy school for every child.

Decades of studies show that children, especially the youngest and those with pre-existing health or learning issues, are adversely impacted by decayed learning environments in both schools and childcare facilities. Easy access to safe and appealing drinking water is an important feature of a healthy school.

What can you do?

Check-out some essential school drinking water safety resources:

• A recent report from the Harvard T.H .Chan School of Public Health and the UC Nutrition Policy Institute on state approaches to testing school drinking water for lead

• Our water safety map, which details media reports of tap water contamination. Know of an incident that’s not on the map? Email us at DWAlliance@ucanr.edu.

• EPA guidance to test for and remediate lead in school and childcare drinking water

• Let’s Tackle School Drinking Water Safety!, a webinar series with practical information, tools, and strategies to help communities provide students with safe and appealing drinking water

Let your congressional representatives know you care about healthy schools – and about school drinking water safety and access:

• Use this website to find and contact your representatives

• The Rebuild America’s Schools Act – introduced by Rep. Bobby Scott, House Education and Labor Chair, and Sen. Jack Reed, Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development – would specifically address school infrastructure, including drinking water safety

NDWA’s Safety and Policy pages for schools have many more resources to support your National Healthy Schools Day efforts to improve school drinking water.