Across the country, schools have installed modern bottle filling stations. They look sleek. They look safe. They look filtered.

But many are not.

Parents assume that if a school has a bottle filler, the water is filtered. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. Unfiltered and filtered units often look nearly identical — and without clear labeling or indicator lights, there is no way for students or parents to know the difference.

 

 

Meanwhile:

• Lead contamination remains a concern in aging plumbing systems.

 

• PFAS (“forever chemicals”) have been detected in water systems across the country.

 

 

• Microplastics and other contaminants continue to raise public health questions.

 

Schools should not rely on assumptions. They should provide certainty.

We are calling on school districts, state education boards, and policymakers to:

1. Require that all newly installed bottle filling stations include certified filtration.
2. Clearly label whether a station is filtered or unfiltered.
3. Establish transparent water testing and reporting standards.
4. Develop a phased plan to retrofit existing unfiltered units.

This is not about blame.
It’s about clarity.
It’s about safety.
It’s about trust.

Every student deserves access to clean, filtered drinking water — no guessing required.

Sign this petition to support safer hydration in every school.