Water fountains and sinks will remain closed until further notice at Davis Elementary School in Stockton after testing showed E. coli bacteria present in the water on campus, school officials announced this week. 

The principal at Davis Elementary, located at 5224 E. Morada Lane, said in a letter that the germ was confirmed to be in the water supply via laboratory testing. 

With Thursday marking the return of students back to school, the school district provided bottled water to students and staff along with hand sanitizer and hand washing stations. The school said its nutrition services was using imported and bottled water for all food handling. 

“Safeguarding our staff and students’ health and safety remains our foremost priority as we work to address this issue,” said Magenda Cruz, principal at Davis Elementary School.

Victoria Franco is a Stockton-based reporter covering the diverse news around the Central Valley as part of the Report for America program. As a Stockton native, Franco is proud to cover stories within her community and report a variety of coverage. She is a San Jose State University alumna with a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism. In her collegiate years she was Managing Editor for the Spartan Daily. From her time at the Spartan Daily she helped lead her staff to California College Media Awards and a General Excellence first place. Victoria encourages readers to email her story tips and ideas at victoria.franco@baycitynews.com.