Insurance agents can provide invaluable assistance to their clients when discussing an active shooter liability policy and how it can help. Unfortunately, mass shootings are common in the United States, and schools need help to prevent and prepare for the scenario. Additionally, you can direct the administration toward resources dedicated to eliminating this heartbreaking problem. 

Learn About Active Shooter Liability Insurance

The cost of a mass shooting can be astronomical, and many districts already struggle to get adequate funding for everyday expenses. Recovery from a shooter requires several services, such as medical treatment and mental health services. Likewise, there is plenty of campus repair and cleaning along with replacing school supplies and property to consider. 

Schools must also worry about civil suits, as parents may sue if the administration was negligent in responding to previous concerns.

Active shooter insurance provides financial resources for all of the above, allowing districts to focus on caring for students and staff. Beneficiaries can utilize policy payouts for funeral costs, post-event hotlines, and trauma counseling. 

Look for Potential Threats

While active shooter liability insurance is invaluable, agents should urge active shooter prevention in schools. Even the largest payout can never replace the lives lost and altered by such an event. One of the best ways to avoid a crisis is to look for warning signs and intervene early.

Authorities have studied past school shootings to pinpoint signs that someone may hurt others. Districts should train staff to recognize violent threats. Such threats could include someone discussing firearm access or their obsession with mass shootings and firearms. Furthermore, any lack of self-regulation or frequent aggression could indicate a threat. Teachers must watch students who endure long-term bullying or display extreme social withdrawal. 

Students should also have guidance about what behavior is and isn’t acceptable. Schools should empower students to report violence or threats on social media.

Create a Nurturing School Environment

While increased security may seem like the answer to stopping mass shootings, “hardening” schools can negatively impact students’ mental health. Ultimately, balancing students’ emotional needs with security concerns might be better.

Creating a nurturing school environment is one way to do so. When students feel heard and valued, they’re more likely to speak to a trusted adult about mental health issues or problems at home. Encouraging kids to seek help and providing resources offers more intervention opportunities. When teachers, administration, and counselors know individual students well enough to spot problematic behavior, they decrease the likelihood of having to file an active shooter liability claim in the future.

Work With Active Shooter Liability Professionals

While general advice can help school administration create an action plan, it’s only a start. Every campus has different factors impacting the risk of a shooting. Ultimately, these factors include location, size, and layout. 

Schools need to identify risk factors specific to them for a genuinely effective active shooters protection plan.

Risk assessment can achieve this. Professional services can analyze relevant factors and design a response plan to save as many lives as possible. They can also assist with staff and student training, an essential step to ensure no one panics during an event.

Once schools recognize their vulnerabilities, you can help by reviewing active shooter liability options. As an insurance agent, you can address districts’ concerns about recovery resources with a policy that covers all their needs.

About PGUI

Professional Governmental Underwriters, LLC., 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.