National celebrations can be exciting, but they can also bring higher risks to schools. Proper educators’ legal liability insurance is the key to managing these risks and protecting educational institutions. As insurance agents, here’s how you can help safeguard your school clients against potential risks.

Common Threats to School Safety During National Celebrations

National celebrations are often an avenue for schools to either host or participate in events that attract large crowds. While these gatherings create a sense of community, they can also present several safety challenges.

Here are some of the common threats to consider:

• Crowd management issues: Overcrowding can lead to accidents, trampling, or panic during emergencies. Difficulty in monitoring large groups of students can increase the risk of incidents.
• Security breaches: Unauthorized access by individuals who may pose a threat to students or staff. Failure to properly secure school entrances and exits can allow intruders.
• Violence or aggressive behavior: Heightened emotions during celebrations can sometimes lead to fights or other aggressive behavior. This is especially concerning, considering how public schools recorded around 857,500 violent incidents in 2021-2022 alone.
• Traffic and transportation risks: Increased traffic around the school during drop-off and pick-up times can lead to accidents.
• Lack of supervision: Insufficient adult supervision during events can lead to accidents or unsafe behavior. Difficulty in ensuring all students are accounted for, especially in large groups.

As an insurance agent, it’s your role to help educators recognize and prepare for these risks. Understanding the specific dangers that national celebrations bring is the first step in keeping students, staff, and visitors safe.

Legal Responsibilities and Risks

Schools have a legal duty to keep their students and staff safe, and this responsibility doesn’t take a break during national celebrations.

The educational negligence law holds schools accountable if they fail to prevent foreseeable harm during these events. For example, if a school doesn’t have adequate crowd control and injuries occur, the institution could face legal action.

Failing to address these legal responsibilities can lead to costly lawsuits and damage the school’s reputation. Therefore, insurance agents must educate clients about these risks and the importance of being prepared.

The Role of Educators’ Legal Liability Insurance

Educators’ legal liability insurance is an essential safeguard for schools, particularly during events like national celebrations. It covers legal issues, including claims of negligence or harm to students.

For example, if a student or staff member is injured during a school-hosted event and the school is deemed liable, educators’ legal liability insurance would cover the legal fees and potential settlements. Clients must understand how this coverage works and why it’s essential during high-profile gatherings.

Strategies to Enhance School Safety

Schools need a proactive approach to safety to manage the risks of national celebrations.

To this end, insurance agents can guide educators on best practices, like conducting risk assessments, implementing strict access controls, and training staff to handle emergencies.

Regularly updating safety protocols is also important to stay prepared for new challenges. In addition, working closely with local law enforcement and emergency services can provide the support schools need during large public events.

National celebrations offer schools a chance to celebrate and bring people together, but they also require careful planning to ensure safety. Educators’ legal liability insurance is key to protecting schools from legal and financial risks.

As an insurance agent, your guidance can make all the difference. Get in touch with us if you want to help your school clients strengthen their liability coverage.

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.