Fresno Unified settles second lawsuit over bleach in a student's feeding tube for $250K

Fresno Unified paid $250,000 to settle a lawsuit with the family of a second Addicott Elementary student who was allegedly tube-fed bleach at the school in 2016. The district paid $575,000 in April to settle a lawsuit brought by another family whose child was involved in the same incident, for a total of $825,000 in settlements.

The lawsuit in the second case, filed by a mother on behalf of her son, says the fifth-grader ingested bleach during a routine flushing of his feeding tube, because "FUSD improperly trained its staff on storage and maintenance of cleaning supplies and medical supplies, such that supplies were easily switched."

The minor could not throw up the poison due to a medical condition, the lawsuit says.

Additionally, the school did not contact poison control or seek medical attention for nearly two hours after the incident, according to the lawsuit, leading the student to suffer ulceration, gastric irritation and “possible permanent impairment to his esophagus and stomach."

The lawsuit also says the mother wanted her son to return to Addicott, but learned that the nurse allegedly involved in the incident still worked at the school. The family filed for negligence, negligent supervision and intentional infliction of emotional distress in May 2017.

District spokeswoman Jessica Baird said she could not comment on whether the nurse named in this lawsuit was still employed at Addicott.

"The district regrets this unfortunate incident and appreciates the opportunity to bring closure for the parties," Baird said in an earlier statement.

This story was originally published July 3, 2018 at 3:25 PM with the headline "Fresno Unified settles second lawsuit over bleach in a student's feeding tube for $250K."