Ector County ISD will pay $30K for Hood students’ medical bills caused by mercury contamination

[TexasTowelie]

Odessa, Texas -- The medical bills of the John B. Hood Junior High students who were affected by the mercury contamination last month will be paid for by the Ector County Independent School District, after its board voted 6-0 on Tuesday night.

Trustee Luis Galvan was late to the meeting and did not vote on the mercury item.

The cost to the district is $30,000, which the board decided after conversation to place a cap at $30,000 since a final bill is not yet available to the district. Insurance is not covering everything, Chief of Staff Brian Moersch said citing a contamination clause that can exclude coverage. Staffs medical bills are being paid by workers compensation.

ECISD’s attorney Mike Atkins said it’s preferable for the board to make a decision on the payment now as the district’s been working with Odessa Regional Medical Center and Medical Center Hospital on cutting the cost to ECISD.

More at http://www.oaoa.com/news/education/ecisd/article_df032280-ca8e-11e3-b27e-001a4bcf6878.html .

[mbperrin]

1. This is my district. They paid about a million dollars

to clean up after about an ounce of mercury was played with by a group of students.

Too bad our textbooks are still from 2003.