The Mentor Board of Education has approved a resolution that will reimburse the parents and guardians of the eighth grade students whose planned field trip to Washington, D.C., was abruptly canceled.
The measure passed unanimously at Tuesday night's board meeting and will see the school district pay up to $235,000 combined to the families. The trip was scrapped last week following conflicts with the agency Discovery Tours, which later filed for bankruptcy and canceled all similar trips.
The text of the resolution claims Discovery Tours "failed to perform its obligations," which caused the students to "[miss] the invaluable opportunity...to visit, learn from and enjoy our nation's capital as their classmates have done every year."
The Ohio Attorney General's Office has also opened an investigation against Discovery Tours, and has apparently received more than 450 complaints against the company from across the state.
Following the trip's cancellation, the Mentor district and others have attempted to make things up to the students: The Cleveland Cavaliers invited the entire eighth grade class to the Quicken Loans Area Watch Party for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, and next week they will head to Sandusky for a free day at Cedar Point.
Each family will be eligible for up to $455 in reimbursement fees, which officials say will not come from taxpayer funds. All claims will have to go through the board of education's treasurer.