Photo Essay, YouthWire
Editor’s Note: California’s recently enacted Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), in effect since July 1, will continue to increase funding for school districts over the next eight years. The greatest increases will go to districts with large populations of “high need” – low-income, foster youth and English Language Learner (ELL) – students. There are concerns, however, over how districts will purpose these new revenue streams, and whether or not communities will be actively engaged. YouthWire asked high school students from across the state to weigh in on that question, using photographs and their own words. The State Board will vote Jan. 16 on what is expected to be the final version of the new funding law.
“Drinking water contaminated with arsenic”
I am a senior at Golden Valley high school, and I ask for only one simple thing – clean, drinkable water. When we turn on our water fountains to take a drink of water we expect to be drinking clean pure water. However, that is not the case at Golden Valley high school. Recently the students of Golden Valley High School received a letter from the Kern High School District informing them that their drinking water is contaminated with arsenic. Though the community water center claims the levels are not yet high enough to be harmful to people the amount of arsenic detected in the water is still above the legal health standard. Arsenic is a drinking water contaminant that can have serious health effects, such as reduced mental functioning in children, cancer of the bladder, lungs, skin, kidneys, liver and prostate and Type 2 diabetes. As a result of the water contamination, students have now started to refuse to drink from the drinking fountains, and because the school does not provide another source for free water; students are not drinking the recommended amount of water.
~ Chris Romo, Golden Valley High School, Kern High School District (KHSD)
Read more at Richmond Pulse
