Innovative Curriculum/Activities Exposures

written by PSBA Alliance Partner CM Regent Insurance Company

Education is an ever-changing landscape. There has been an increasing desire to make lessons more engaging, accessible and meaningful for students through skill-based projects. Although these innovative opportunities seek to provide real-world experience and inspire students to seek knowledge outside of the traditional classroom, these activities can present additional risk exposure or coverage limitations.???

Schools may allocate a section of their facilities for community outreach, continuing education, or to promote physical health and well-being. This may include access to physical education/adventure equipment, hosting local fairs and carnivals, outdoor education centers/school forests, fundraisers where students provide a service to the community, STEM activities, and allowing the use of school facilities and equipment as “maker spaces.”??

Activities and events hosted for public safety officials may include CPR/AED training, mock disaster recovery drills and emergency services demonstrations. School buildings offer opportunities for local public safety agencies to train at a facility they service. Training courses such as CPR/AED, Stop the Bleed and many others are typically facilitated by a third-party organization. Mock emergency drills may involve students or community members serving as actors, allowing public safety agencies to practice response actions, evaluate potential weaknesses and improve skills to handle emergency situations.??

Risk reduction strategies need to be accounted for and implemented prior to students and staff engaging in any new or innovative curriculum-based activity. These activities typically have increased risk exposure but may be permitted with appropriate risk reduction strategies in place. Each activity may warrant specific risk control measures; however, the following are recommended industry-accepted practices to reduce exposure when considering any innovative activities:?

• Consult with your licensed insurance representative to verify insurance coverage and if the proposed activity is excluded from coverage.?
• Consult with your carrier’s risk control staff for guidance on risk reduction strategies.?

• Obtain certificates of insurance from each vendor who provides services or equipment associated with the activity. Verify coverage limits meet or exceed your insurance coverage.?

• Require organizations to complete and submit facilities use forms if any activities are requested to occur on school-owned property.?

• Consult with your school’s legal counsel prior to signing any contract.?

• Require a signed consent acknowledgement of risks associated with the activity for each participant, including the parent/legal guardian of minors.???

• Outdoor education centers and school forests should only be inhabited by students when staff are present.?

• Conduct background checks/screening for any volunteers or individuals with access to students when a school staff member is not present.?

• All facilities should have a pre- and post-event walkthrough to assess the condition of facilities to identify any unsafe conditions and document damages resulting from the activity.??

• Verify emergency action plans are current prior to any innovative-based activity; emergency services should also be present.?

• Establish membership criteria, if offered, outlining guidelines and best practices for utilizing the spaces provided, while also keeping users accountable for the condition of equipment utilized.??

• Restrict use of public use areas outside of normal school hours if the public could interact with students.?

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