Norfolk Southern donates $300,000 to East Palestine City School District

COLUMBIANA COUNTY, Ohio (WOIO) - Norfolk Southern on Friday donated $300,000 to the East Palestine City School District following the toxic train derailment earlier this month.

The donation will provide East Palestine Elementary, East Palestine Middle and East Palestine High Schools each with donations of $100,000, according to a company news release.

The donation comes following the 50-car train derailment on Feb. 3. Twenty of the 50 cars contained the toxic chemical known as vinyl chloride, which is known as a cause of cancer in humans.

The district has since been cleared of any danger after the controlled release of the chemical on Feb. 6.

Officials said CEO Alan Shaw met with the district on Tuesday to inform them of the donation after learning of the district’s issues, which included the district being forced to cancel athletic events.

“As soon as I heard that the East Palestine Bulldogs were not able to play in revenue-generating games, we took immediate action to help this community,” Shaw said. We continue to be committed to helping East Palestine residents get back on their feet. We are in this community for the long haul, and our goal is to see the community thrive again.”

The railroad company also reimbursed the East Palestine Fire Department $825,000 for fire equipment that was used during the response, following a $220,000 reimbursement for new equipment.

This is a developing story. Return to 19 News for updates.

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