A schoolteacher injured during his lunch break is entitled to workers compensation benefits because he was still responsible for students during that time, an Arkansas appellate court ruled Wednesday.
The Arkansas Court of Appeals upheld a ruling by the state Workers’ Compensation Commission that Bron Bell suffered a compensable injury on Sept. 27, 2018, when he fell while exiting the school cafeteria.
His employer, the Mineral Springs-Saratoga School District, had denied the claim, contending Mr. Bell was not performing employment duties at the time of the accident.
An administrative law judge agreed with the district and found the injury noncompensable, but the Workers’ Compensation Commission reversed the ruling, stating Mr. Bell was on the job site at the time of the accident and would have been required to leave his lunch break and to return to work if he was needed to assist with a student incident.