A number of school districts in the state of Florida made sure to at least fill out paperwork today to give them the option to sue BP if they so decided.

“Our attorneys decided that because the financial implications towards the state, which trickle down to us as a district, that it would be in our best interest to at least file the paperwork to at least allow that option to stay open,” said Joe Donzelli, director of communications for Lee County Public School in Fort Meyer, Fla.

This does not mean the school district is 100 percent set on a lawsuit, according to Donzelli. But Lee County and other districts will inevitably see a negative effect of Florida’s decline in tourism as a result of the spill. Tax revenue for education that the state receives from the normally lucrative vacation industry was estimated to be reduced by the billions of dollars, thereby cutting some of the funds that help support the school districts in the state. Transportation is one of those services.

The Lee County transportation department already knows it will see some cuts in the upcoming school year.

“We’re going to be getting rid of some routes, tightening stops on each route, which will allow us to remove buses from the road, saving maintenance and fuel costs, as well as staff costs because we won’t need as many drivers and attendants,” added Donzelli.

In an effort to ease the emotional stress of the Gulf oil spill, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration set up the Oil Spill Distress Helpline to help the 600,000 children and their families in 34 school districts in Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida. Aside from the helpline, there are eight Gulf Coast area crisis centers with trained staff to answer calls and provide “psychological first aid assistance.”