The mother of a student injured in an attack at Amanda Elzy High School wants to be compensated for his dental bills, and the school district’s business manager says the claim will be addressed.
Elzy student Cortez Hemphill lost three of his front teeth in the attack Oct. 4 during class.
Dr. Gene Baines did the initial work on Cortez. The damage to the student’s teeth and mouth also required the services of an oral surgeon, Dr. Chris Hughes.
Cortez’s mother, Valerie Hemphill, said the Leflore County School District covered $338 in services performed by Hughes. However, she’s worried that the district hasn’t made arrangements to pay Baines — and more work, with an estimated cost of $3,781, is needed.
In addition, Hemphill herself paid $300 for a dental plate for her son and would like to be repaid for that.
Doug Segars, business manager for the school district, said a claim has been filed with the district’s insurance carrier.
“We’ll do the best we can to cooperate in every way,” he said.
He said he didn’t know whether the district had received a bill from Baines.
“It’s not like we’re trying to withhold payment. We give them everything that we receive to be processed,” he said. “If we don’t know about it, how can we file it?”
Hemphill said she initially had an attorney representing her and her son in the matter. She said the attorney dropped her after about a month after deciding there wasn’t much potential in the case.
“We did not know that,” Segars said.
He said such a lack of communication might have led to confusion on the part of both parties.
Segars said the matter is likely to come before the Leflore County School Board at its regular meeting Monday.
Hemphill said she’s still awaiting a report from the district on the incident.
Hemphill said she kept her son out of school between two and three months over concerns for his safety. She said the attack has not only disfigured him but also affected him psychologically.
“He was a quiet child; now he’s defensive,” she said.
• Contact Bob Darden at bdarden@gwcommonwealth.com.
