TX: NAACP files lawsuit to close down school troubled with unidentified illness - public health professor was previously barred from attending distric

[Emily]

http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/inve..._comment_id=1236672863083800_1240933622657724

Charlotte Huffman, Jason Trahan Original story posted Feb. 2, 2017:
News 8 Investigates
ARLINGTON -- The principal of a North Arlington junior high school has been replaced amid a growing crisis involving a mystery illness that has sickened as many as 60 teachers and untold numbers of students.
Since September, teachers and students at Nichols Junior High have reported similar symptoms, including nausea, trouble concentrating and dizziness. Some teachers have passed out in front of their students. Some have refused to return to work. Others say they're requesting transfers.
Now, they?re speaking out to News 8 Investigates, on the condition that we hide their identities for fear of retaliation.
Teachers at Nichols Junior High say they fear retaliaton for speaking out to News 8 about the illnesses
...
?Something is going on at the school,? said Dr. Alisa Rich, an assistant professor at the University of North Texas? School of Public Health. She?s also a member of the World Health Organization?s Chemical Risk Assessment Network, a group of 38 scientists that develop guidelines to reduce the risks of chemical exposures.
Dr. Alisa Rich, an assistant professor at the University of North Texas? School of Public Health, was called in by teachers to help find the source of the illnesses.

Teachers contacted Dr. Rich for help. She said she tried to help, but was escorted out of the district?s meeting with staff in December.
?I was informed it was a closed meeting, which struck me a little odd,? Dr. Rich said.
WFAA-TV gathered test results and other records obtained during our investigation and gave them to Dr. Rich for her to review.
"That?s an inhalation of some type of gas,? Dr. Rich said. ?The question is, where is the gas coming from and what type of gas is it??...

http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/At...erious-Illness-Plaguing-School-416885163.html

[h=1]Attorneys & NAACP File Lawsuit over Mysterious Illness Plaguing School[/h] [h=3]By Alice Barr[/h] Attorneys for the NAACP filed a lawsuit Thursday over a mysterious illness plaguing a junior high school in Arlington.
(Published Thursday, March 23, 2017) The Arlington Independent School District is responding after the NAACP filed a lawsuit over mysterious illnesses at Nichols Junior High School. They're asking for an emergency order to keep everyone out of the school until a cause is found.
NBC5 learned on Thursday that there have been more than 500 complaints of illness, including nausea, dizziness and fainting, from 70 different people at Nichols, since this all started back in September.
The District says those number have dropped significantly in the past few weeks. But until there are zero cases, advocates say no one should be in the school...