Schools in the Redwood City School District will soon be able to grab a long, cool drink of fresh water, and it will come with physical fitness benefits.
Thanks to a $50,000 grant from the Coca-Cola Foundation, the Water First for Thirst program will be funded. The program is designed to complement the district’s PE Plus initiative. Studies show students are less at risk of obesity when given access to water at school.
New water stations also mean every school in the district will be in compliance with recently passed state and federal laws requiring free, fresh water to be available at schools where meals are served or eaten.
Coca-Cola representatives Lauren Ruiz and Tim Albrecht were on hand at a school board meeting in February to present the $50,000 Active Lifestyle grant to Board President Erika Pretell, Executive Director Jo-Ann Sockolov, Trustee Shelly Masur and Superintendent Jan Christensen.
The first water systems, Brita hydration stations, will be delivering fresh water in the cafeterias of MIT and Orion by the spring.
The district is waiting for results from a UCSF study, dueFresh safe drinking water keeps kids healthy out in June, on providing access to water at school before finalizing plans for the seven remaining schools: Adelante, Fair Oaks, Garfield, Hawes, Henry Ford, John Gill, and Taft. The choices are to install new fountains and/or employ design and education options to encourage children to use existing fountains.
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