On March 10, hot water coming out of certain sinks and water fountains at Staples was tinted with a light brown color.

“The hot water lines are being flushed to remove any sediment that has collected,” Staples principal, Dr. Mark Karagus, said. “When that happens, there’s generally a very light rust-looking color that can come through the water.”

Karagus said that after contacting Superintendent Dr. Elliott Landon, he decided to make an announcement telling students to refrain from drinking from the fountains “to stay on the safe side.”

While Karagus made the announcement to maintain calm, some students still felt uneasy.

“There was a rush of people to the cafeteria to buy water,” Arun Soni ’16 said. “I was paranoid.”

Other students were concerned with the timing of the announcement.

“I don’t understand why they would make such a late notice because people could have washed their hands or had the water from the fountains,” Christina Yu ’17 said. “It was kind of irresponsible.”

As of March 11, the school “has been in contact with the testing agencies, who came to check that the drinking water is clear and safe for use,” Karagus said.

During the day on Friday, students were allowed to take one free water bottle each from the cafeteria. For the plays happening over the weekend, the drinking fountains will still be out of use, and extra water will be available for both the audience and the cast.

“This was not as critical as it appears,” Karagus said. “We hear back from the testing agencies over the weekend, and our aim and the goal is to make an announcement Monday morning that the water is fine.”