jason
07-18-2008, 08:43 AM
Mom sues school district over bat-infested halls
The Associated Press
Article Last Updated: 07/17/2008 01:55:10 PM MDT
Posted: 1:39 PM- PROVO - A Utah County mother has filed a lawsuit against Alpine School District, claiming the district and school administrators failed to warn students and parents that Lehi High School was infested with bats last year.
Traci Turner said she filed the lawsuit on behalf of her son, Chase Jackson, who caught a bat at school last September and played with it for two hours. The boy was later treated for possible rabies exposure.
"The defendant did nothing to warn students of the severe danger that bats pose to humans and to instruct students to avoid contact with the bats or the bats' after-effects," said court papers filed last week in 4th District Court.
School officials dispute Turner's claim.
Officials claim they partnered with the Utah County Health Department to rid the school of bast as soon as they learned that hundreds of the creatures had nested in the building.
"We did inform parents and students of the situation; we let them all know that we would pay for, if any of them felt like they had been exposed, pay for them to get a shot," said Ronda Bromley, spokeswoman for Alpine School District. "We were very proactive as far as our communication with parents and students."
Over a two-week period announcements were also made over a school intercom telling students not to touch dead bats
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and to report any contact to teachers.
The school paid out more than $6,800 in rabies vaccination compensation for seven students, Bromley said.
Turner contends she only learned about the problem when her son brought a health department letter home from school explaining that he could be at risk for rabies, her attorney, Matthew Howell said.
Rabies is a fatal disease. Symptoms of the disease include central nervous system damage and neurological problems, said Dr. Joseph Miner, director of the Utah County Health Department.
Treatment includes five shots of vaccine over 28 days and one gamma globulin shot.
It's unknown if Jackson was bitten or if the bat he touched had rabies. To be safe, he went through the five-shot regimen for rabies exposure.
"You treat either way," said Miner. "You don't wait to see if someone gets rabies."
Turner's lawsuit was filed as a class-action, meaning other injured students could join in.
LINK (http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_9912148)
The Associated Press
Article Last Updated: 07/17/2008 01:55:10 PM MDT
Posted: 1:39 PM- PROVO - A Utah County mother has filed a lawsuit against Alpine School District, claiming the district and school administrators failed to warn students and parents that Lehi High School was infested with bats last year.
Traci Turner said she filed the lawsuit on behalf of her son, Chase Jackson, who caught a bat at school last September and played with it for two hours. The boy was later treated for possible rabies exposure.
"The defendant did nothing to warn students of the severe danger that bats pose to humans and to instruct students to avoid contact with the bats or the bats' after-effects," said court papers filed last week in 4th District Court.
School officials dispute Turner's claim.
Officials claim they partnered with the Utah County Health Department to rid the school of bast as soon as they learned that hundreds of the creatures had nested in the building.
"We did inform parents and students of the situation; we let them all know that we would pay for, if any of them felt like they had been exposed, pay for them to get a shot," said Ronda Bromley, spokeswoman for Alpine School District. "We were very proactive as far as our communication with parents and students."
Over a two-week period announcements were also made over a school intercom telling students not to touch dead bats
Advertisement
<a href="http://63.225.61.3/ADCLICK/CID=00005a7031caf14c00000000/area=slt.local.positionY/adsize=300x250/aamsz=300x250/keyword=/site=/acc_random=47127987/pageid=47127987" target="_blank"> <img src="http://www.nacorp.com/ads/1pixel.gif" alt="" border="0" width="300" height="250" /> </a>
and to report any contact to teachers.
The school paid out more than $6,800 in rabies vaccination compensation for seven students, Bromley said.
Turner contends she only learned about the problem when her son brought a health department letter home from school explaining that he could be at risk for rabies, her attorney, Matthew Howell said.
Rabies is a fatal disease. Symptoms of the disease include central nervous system damage and neurological problems, said Dr. Joseph Miner, director of the Utah County Health Department.
Treatment includes five shots of vaccine over 28 days and one gamma globulin shot.
It's unknown if Jackson was bitten or if the bat he touched had rabies. To be safe, he went through the five-shot regimen for rabies exposure.
"You treat either way," said Miner. "You don't wait to see if someone gets rabies."
Turner's lawsuit was filed as a class-action, meaning other injured students could join in.
LINK (http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_9912148)