HAGERSTOWN, Md. (AP) — School nurses are returning to Washington County public schools.

The Herald-Mail of Hagerstown reported in its Thursday edition that the local Meritus Medical Center will provide school health services in the new school year. The deal includes provisions for two one-year contract extensions.

The program will cost $2.7 million in the first year. That’s $600,000 less than the county would have paid under a school nursing program that the county commissioners eliminated in June.

They cut the old program to free up money to pay a share of teacher pension costs that the state is passing on to local governments.

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