Charter schools are one of the most important educational institutions in the U.S. With over 7,000 of these schools throughout the U.S., it’s clear that they offer students unique opportunities and advantages. With all of these benefits, though, there are liabilities, too. Charter schools face enterprise risks just like any other organization, and it’s imperative that leadership recognize and combat these risks proactively. Failure to do so can result in litigation, or worse, injury to staff and students. Charter school administration should pay attention to the following four areas of risk present in daily operations.

Hiring Practices

Like any other organization that hires staff members, charter schools face liability when soliciting applications, interviewing, and eventually hiring job candidates. There are a range of risks that can emerge throughout this process, including charges of discrimination, unfair interview practices, and hiring bias. All of these liabilities pose a threat to the integrity of a school and its staff. This is why it’s imperative for human resources departments to proactively protect against these liabilities by investing in risk-aware training for recruiters. This is especially true for institutions like schools that benefit from a diverse staff.

Environmental Safety

Unfortunately, charter schools are also vulnerable to environmental risks associated with inhabiting a physical building. There’s a reason why schools implement fire drills regularly — it’s imperative that staff and students be prepared for such a disaster, if it were to happen. In addition to fires, other environmental risks include severe weather such as hurricanes or tornados, and airborne threats such as carbon monoxide. Luckily, there are simple safety precautions that can be implemented to combat these risks and minimize the chance of an incident or injury.

Employee Misconduct

The risk of employee misconduct is common across all industries, but it’s particularly threatening when an employee is interacting with children. Employee misconduct can quickly endanger child welfare when it’s committed by a teacher at a charter school. Preventing incidents of such abuse can be accomplished by providing staff with adequate mental health resources and encouraging teachers to seek support when necessary. Too many teachers feel enormous pressure to fulfill their duties with minimal support from administration, and this can lead to preventable misconduct incidents.

Technology and IT

Many people argue that technology is the key to making schools safer, but anybody who’s aware of risks knows that it introduces new liabilities, too. Charter schools need to be especially careful when dealing with technology and IT that includes sensitive information about students. System breaches committed by cybercriminals can quickly compromise the security of private information, and if this information is misused, it can escalate to a serious legal issue for a charter school. Administration should partner with IT departments to ensure that all information is encrypted.

About PGUI

Professional Governmental Underwriters, Inc., is a full-service risk management company dedicated to assisting public, educational and non-profit entities in the management of their professional liability exposures including educators liability insurance. We are dedicated to providing state-of-the-art professional underwriting management and loss control advisory services on behalf of our designated carriers. For more information, call us toll-free at (800) 586-6502.