The Surrey School District pulled a rabbit out of the hat by covering the $10-million deficit it was facing for this upcoming year.
Schools are densely over-populated, some of our secondary schools have over 15 portables on their sites and the biggest concern to Trustee Laurie Larsen is having bottled water in our schools? It is an absolute waste of time and money looking into this.
Firstly, we should be happy that the students are choosing water and not walking across the street to have a 500-calorie Starbucks drink. When the district first eliminated junk food from our schools, I was a supporter of that despite there being many other options to most secondary schools.
By removing the junk food and pop from the schools, a large chunk of revenue disappeared as the money from the vending machines usually comes back to the school to support such areas as athletics. In our schools today, you can choose healthy snacks and bottled water. Revenues are down on the machines, but at least there is funding coming into our athletics and fine art programs.
Students are finally beginning to make the right choice and choose water over pop and other high sugar drinks and Ms. Larsen is setting up our students to take a step backwards.
Students choose bottled water so they can take water with them to class, for the walk home and in many cases, the water fountains are routinely soiled by students throwing food in them, spitting in them and many other distasteful acts. This is not about trusting that our water is safe, it is about convenience and making healthy choices.
Ms. Larsen needs to focus more on the issues that the district faces each and every day rather than a non-issue as this clearly is.
Dean Maion, Surrey
Water good for students
Are you kidding? Surrey school trustees give themselves an $800-a-year raise – added to their just under $30,000-per-year pay for part-time work – and Trustee Laurie Larsen comes up with no plastic water bottles in school?
The school system is a mess and we are paying her to come up with that advice? We all know water is a good thing for the mind and body to function well, so why deprive the students?
Can you imagine a class of 30-plus excusing themselves to go to the water fountain? Yes, around a table meeting, go ahead and serve water out of pitchers. But not allowing water bottles in schools?
Come next election just one more thing for everyone to remember.
S. Bashnick
Drink from the tap
Re: “Surrey school trustee floats bottled water ban.”
I’m in support of banning bottled water at schools. When I went to school we had fountains in the hallways. If you don’t want to drink from the fountain, carry water in a reusable bottle.
I’m also in support of everyone using refillable bottles and filling them from our taps. I’m thankful for the great water we have. Others should be too. Cut back on garbage and recycling – drink water from your tap.
Janice Sherwood
Surrey
