MOBILE, Ala. (WPMI) —  There’s no way to avoid it when it rains a lot, students at Leinkauf Elementary school have to walk through water to get to class, soaking their shoes and socks.

Flooding has been an issue for years on the old streets, the city says repairing the underground infrastructure would cost millions.

“When it starts raining really bad, I know it’s going to flood,” grandparent Carol McSwain said.

Kindergarten through fifth grade walk on flooded pathways at Leinkauf, a school separated into two buildings by the street that’s closed during the school day.

The school district says its hands are tied since the roads are owned by the city.

We saw the city drains are clear, but in a statement, a spokesperson says it’s not enough because nearby Ann Street is the culprit. Ann Street is designated for a total rebuild but will cost $4.5 million the city doesn’t have.

“The manholes and stuff, when it starts raining., red mud starts to bubble out,” said McSwain. “You can sit here and watch it flood.”

Photos shared by first-grade teacher Frinetta Boman shows how bad it gets.

She is collecting donations for rain boots for every student at the elementary school. Students are overjoyed to get the boots and avoid the mess.

I showed City Councilman Levon Manzie the photos today of the flooding.

“It is a concern, it was a concern of mine when I represented that every school on the school board for five years,” he said.

Manzie says the funding to fix the problem is in the administration’s hands but he wants to help the teacher get kiddos rain boots in the meantime.

“ I am going to be allocating some discretionary resources to help them with their goal,” said Manzie.

To donate, you can drop a check off at the school, or search $FrenzyB on Cash app.