Parents upset at Parkdale school's plan to sell filtered water refills to young children

TORONTO, Ont. - Some parents are questioning a plan by the Toronto District School Board to put a vending machine in a Parkdale elementary school that sells water refills and flavoured water.

The vending machine is scheduled to be installed at Fern Avenue Public School, near Queen Street and Roncesvalles Avenue.

The machine will charge students 50-cents for filtered water and $1 for flavoured water.

The students can still refill reusable water bottles at the drinking fountain, but the vending machine will provide filtered and chilled water.

But some parents said schools shouldn't be charging young children for water.

School boards have found themselves tapped for revenue to replace pop and junk food sales because as of September 2010 schools can only sell nutritional food and drinks to students.