Settlement nets Alpena Public Schools untold sum
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ALPENA -- The Alpena Public Schools Board of Education on Monday said it could not disclose the amount of money awarded to the district through a lawsuit settlement related to teen vaping.
The settlement came after APS joined a class-action suit against JUUL and other vape manufacturers. The district earlier received money from a settlement with JUUL and on Monday accepted money from a settlement with Altria Co.
Those suing the companies alleged vape manufacturers' ads targeted kids, particularly of high school age.
After meeting in closed session to discuss the matter, the board returned to open session to pass a motion accepting the settlement.
In an interview after the board meeting adjourned, APS board President Anna Meinhardt said the settlement amount was disclosed to the board, but that information would not be released to the public at this time and that she was unsure when, if ever, it would be released.
"There's a long formula that was used to determine how much districts got based on how large their population was," Meinhardt said. "The bigger the school district, the more money they get."
Asked why the board would not disclose the settlement amount, Meinhardt said it was a requirement of the settlement agreement.
"There are multiple conditions that need to be met in order for the district to receive the dollars," Meinhardt said in a text message to The News. "One condition was to not disclose the dollar amount ... The district is being cautious to ensure we do it all by the book to ensure we don't jeopardize the funding the district will receive."
Meinhardt said that the board is looking into putting the money from the settlement into education and other programs to warn students about the dangers of vaping.
"When we had the JUUL settlement last year, we used the dollars from that to install a lot of the vape detectors in the school," said Meinhardt. "We're hoping, with this round of settlement, to use it for education to help educate our kids on the dangers of vaping and other health and mental health issues."