The Mayor of Philadelphia called attention to the potential need for bathroom supplies in the city's schools in a tweet that called for the specific names of schools in need.
If there is info on needed school bathroom supplies, please provide the school (s) names so these individual situations can be addressed. — Michael A. Nutter (@Michael_Nutter) October 24, 2014
The tweet, which hit social media at 9:22 p.m. Thursday, was in response to a tweet directed at Nutter and the chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.):
@DWStweets @Michael_Nutter 2016 DNC in Philly? City won't provide BASIC school sanitary bathroom items. Crisis/epidemic — k white (@katywh20) October 23, 2014
But the remark from @katywh20 was unfounded, according to Fernando Gallard, spokesman for the School District of Philadelphia.
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"It is like me writing on the wall, 'There are no bathroom supplies,'" said Gallard, who added the city's schools have "plenty of soap, toilet paper and paper towels."
"Bathroom supplies are not an issue," he continued. "It is becoming an urban myth at this point."
About an hour after Nutter sent his original tweet, he took to Twitter again to clarify:
There are plenty of those sanitary school supplies in inventory as I understand it, just want to fine out where there may be any problems. — Michael A. Nutter (@Michael_Nutter) October 24, 2014
But the social media blunder had already sparked a conversation online.
@Michael_Nutter #Wow System truly broken if social media needed to deliver edict regarding a daily, common, school supply need by the #Mayor — James Timberlake (@24_architect) October 24, 2014
.@Michael_Nutter Lack of TP is the tip of the iceberg! So many schools do not have clean bathrooms. So many broken toilets!
— PennBat (@PennBat) October 24, 2014
@Michael_Nutter It is a system-wide issue. Many schools have no bathroom supplies, soap, tissue, etc. Pick 5-10 random school & inspect! — Caucus of Working Ed (@CaucusofWE) October 24, 2014
While the Philly school system has the toilet paper, soap and paper towels it needs, an ongoing budget crisis continues to affect schools.
Frustration reached a pinnacle last Thursday when teachers, students and other protestors blocked Broad Street outside the district's headquarters at Spring Garden Street in Center City.
