Many of us can recall a time when our class spent the day at a museum to study art or artifacts first-hand; perhaps there was a journey to explore the wonders of the natural world; maybe we remember proudly representing our school for an exciting competition. Today, you probably think about field trips from a different perspective. Your top priority is to keep your students safe while they are traveling off campus. 

The best way to protect students and your district is to exercise appropriate risk management. While California law waives all claims against a district, charter school, or the state from pupils and grown-ups participating in a field trip, you still have a mandatory duty to reasonably and diligently supervise students in protecting them from risk of injury. Districts can still be liable for field trip injuries caused by failing to properly supervise students. 

Because field trips typically include volunteer chaperones, such volunteers must be trained and clearly understand their responsibilities for watching out for the kids. Here are some of the essential guidelines to make sure volunteer chaperones know how to supervise the students and work with the supervising teacher:

There have been several school walkouts over the last few weeks; however, a nationwide protest is planned for March 14, 2018, the one-month anniversary of the shooting that took place on February 14, 2018, at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. A march on Washington is scheduled for March 24th. This is a Saturday and will not disrupt school. There is another school walkout planned for April 20th, the 19th anniversary of the shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado. Students are walking out of class to demand tougher gun laws in response to last week's deadly shooting in Parkland, Florida. 

The following are some steps to ensure the safety of students and staff in the event of a walkout:

According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), students are 70 times more likely to get to school safely on a bus – and back home – than traveling by car. While school buses are strongly regulated and protected by traffic laws, it’s people like you and I that make the real difference, taking our school bus safety to the next level. 

Bus drivers must be alert, unimpaired, and completely focused on their task to demonstrate the safe operation of the vehicle. Beyond just driving the bus, the driver must also maintain total awareness of the young people riding and surrounding their bus. Backing up a school bus is never a routine maneuver. Even with mirrors and rear-view cameras, blind spots still exist. A school bus going safely into reverse depends on people ensuring there are no children, grownups, or other obstructions anywhere the bus is backing. If possible, drivers should be assisted by others to confirm the area behind the bus is clear and safe to back up. 

Special Education students require additional attention. Safe use of the vehicle’s accessibility features is essential during pick up and at the destination. Bus operators with Special Ed students need to ensure their passengers and any of their mobility equipment are properly secured and remain so when the bus is in motion. While it’s important with any school bus being parked at the end of the day, with disabled students involved, the driver inspection of the vehicle’s interior is critical. The driver must walk the interior of their bus from front to back, to ensure no child is left behind. 

Maintenance is also a vital component to school bus safety. From taking care of tires, brakes, fluids, and electrical, to effective windshield wipers, clean windows and mirrors, maintenance staff and bus drivers should regularly communicate about mechanical condition. 

All of us who drive in our community have a part to play. Whether you drive into school or travel through neighborhoods around school bus stops, follow the rules of the road. It is illegal to pass a school bus, on either side of the road, while the bus is picking up or letting off passengers. Bad weather, bad traffic, distractions, and time pressures should never compromise how any driver shares the road with school buses. 

Unlike any other vehicle on the road, school buses are carrying something that can never be replaced – our kids.

Proposition 64, the California Marijuana Legalization Initiative, has legalized personal, recreational use of marijuana. Many of the related regulations go into effect January 1, 2018. We want you to know that Proposition 64 carved out several areas of state law which remain unchanged in California that impact your employment policies and workplace safety:

As we return from the Thanksgiving holiday, it’s time to turn attention to the wet, cold and windy days that will be coming soon. While we got a short break for Thanksgiving, most schools will have a much longer closure for the latter part of December and early January. We encourage you to make sure your facilities are ready for the beginning of winter, when California gets most of its heavy weather. 

Now is the time to make an assessment and take steps to ensure your property can keep flooding and water intrusion at bay. Remind teachers and other staff responsible for securing their classrooms, gyms, workshops and offices to make certain all windows are closed when they leave for the day – especially on the day before winter break. Rain, wind and cold temperatures entering an open window create a potential for serious damage. Vents with operable closures in shop classes and maintenance facilities can also be avenues for allowing outdoor weather to come in. Be sure these openings are double checked before schools are closed. 

For schools located in mountainous and other colder climates, it’s important to consider how to manage heavy snowfall and ice accumulation. More than a few inches of snow on a roof can cause structural strain leading to problems like leaky roofs all the way to catastrophic failure. Use caution with sloped roofs where melting snow leads to icicle formation, or a layer of reduced friction resulting in a sudden collapse of snow off the roof that could injure someone. Finally, ice on walkways and parking lots may have to be mitigated before pupils and personnel return to campus. 

Even without precipitation, temperature variations can cause damage and create hazards. Water pipes exposed to freezing temperatures can burst, not just outdoors, but also within unheated buildings. Temperature monitoring should be employed in areas where this is a possibility and pipe insulation must be maintained. Thawing and refreezing conditions can cause buckling and breaking of paved surfaces which can become trip and fall hazards. 

Keenan can help you assess what you need to get ready your campus ready for winter and help you enjoy your holidays with less to worry about.

No doubt you have seen the colorful, dynamic new gadgets in the hands of kids, known as “fidget spinners.” They’re appearing suddenly, almost out of nowhere. You find them being sold all over the place – in stores, gas stations, and even from sidewalk folding tables or out of car trunks. More than likely, you have seen more than one spinning in your classrooms or the campus playground. 

Beyond just being toys students are bringing to school, they have created some controversy in the educational community. Fidget spinners are heavily marketed as devices to assist those with certain conditions and learning disabilities – including autism, performance anxiety and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) – to improve focus and channel physical energy. To date, only anecdotal evidence and very limited research support such therapeutic claims. 

Schools have reacted to this sudden fidget spinner trend with everything from outright bans of the toys to actively supplying spinners to students they believe will benefit from using them. In developing policy and practice toward fidget spinners, it is important that schools consider the risk management aspects to keep pupils and staff safe. 

Some fidget spinners have been found to contain toxic substances including lead and phthalates; others have sharp edges or protrusions that have caused injuries; if they are disassembled or break, there are small pieces that are a choking hazard for young children. There are even lighted models containing lithium ion batteries that have burst into flames during recharging. The Consumer Product Safety Commission recently issued specific safety guidance about fidget spinners to both consumers and manufacturers. 

Although they are designed to be held in the hand while spinning the rotor, fidget spinners can become dangerous flying objects. Whether users are trying to perform clever tricks or intentionally throwing them at others, there is a great potential for injury when fidget spinners leave the hand. Schools should specifically prohibit any behavior where the spinner becomes a projectile. 

While many teachers and administrators have been concerned the toys create classroom distractions, fidget spinners can also cause unsafe distractions for those spinning them. Just as a smartphone user can be more focused on the device than with driving or walking, someone focusing on the spinning toy can accidentally trip over uneven ground, run into obstructions, or walk into traffic. 

We can’t predict if fidget spinners are here to stay, or will be a quickly passing fad replaced by a new obsession in a few months. But school personnel need to be aware of the possible risks and, most importantly, act to keep everyone on campus safe.

Halloween can be a fun and exciting event for kids, dressing up as scary creatures or superheroes and collecting treats from the neighbors. It is also the date we see an annual peak in property crimes: vandalism, arson and burglary. According to a 2016 study by Travelers, property crimes average 24% higher on Halloween compared to any other day of the year. The Highway Loss Data Institute found that vehicles are twice as likely to be vandalized on October 31. These trends truly make Halloween a frightening night for schools. 

The following steps can help school districts make their facilities less attractive to young tricksters and malicious criminals this Halloween: 

Secure the Perimeter – Keep gates locked after school hours and be sure fencing is in good repair. 

Clean and Well Lighted – Remove any trash and weeds from grounds that could be easily set on fire. Lighting that keeps the area more visible will deter attempts to damage or break in to facilities. 

Have Dumpsters Emptied In Advance – Request an additional rubbish pickup if the regular schedule doesn’t coincide with Halloween. Keep bins locked at night and keep them away from buildings that can be damaged by a dumpster fire. 

Develop a Relationship with the Immediate Community – Get to know the neighbors around your school and encourage them to report any unusual activity they see happening around the school property. 

Utilize Signage to Signal Awareness – Discourage would-be vandals and burglars with signs indicating presence of surveillance and a commitment to prosecute property crime. 

Protect Vehicles – Where possible, keep them garaged or in gated yards a safe distance away from fence lines. 

If Property is Vandalized, Minimize the Impact – Clean up and restore damage as quickly as possible following an incident. Remove or mask graffiti right away to demonstrate that vandals’ handiwork will not be long lasting. 

Foster Pride in Your Schools – Give your student body a stake in the maintenance and attractiveness of their school. 

Your Keenan representative can help you assess your property risks and help you implement effective loss control steps to lessen your exposure to vandalism and arson.

The immense devastation caused by the recent hurricanes, Harvey, Irma and Maria, has been far more widespread than we have experienced in many years. The geographical sweep was cataclysmic, from the Gulf Coast of Texas and Louisiana; large, highly-populated areas of Florida; the entirety of Puerto Rico and numerous Caribbean islands. The three powerful storms occurred in rapid succession and resulted in major damage or total loss to the homes and businesses of millions of people, severe disruption of utilities and community infrastructure, and sadly, too many human lives lost. 

Once the aftermath has been assessed, the costs will quickly eclipse those of Katrina in 2005 and Sandy in 2012. What can we expect to see in the insurance industry as companies begin paying out billions in claims from these catastrophes? In the immediate wake of the hurricanes, a lot of investors pulled out of their insurance industry positions, sending some insurer stock prices downward. However, these market fluctuations are not likely to affect carriers’ ability to pay for covered losses. Lessons were learned from previous disasters and insurers are much better prepared for these unusually large losses than they were a decade ago. Most insurance companies have enhanced their surplus during the relatively quiet hurricane seasons, literally saving more for the “rainy days” that eventually come. In addition, more robust reinsurance arrangements limit how much exposure a carrier has to major – or multiple – loss events. 

Most of the impacts on the cost or availability of coverage will probably been seen regionally, in the areas directly affected by the storms. Property and vehicle premiums in states impacted by previous major hurricanes went up 12-20% on average in the year following the event. Premiums aside, the levels of insurance company surplus against their potential exposure to covered losses affects the supply of coverage available on the market. This is also known as “capacity,” and can potentially make it difficult to obtain needed insurance coverage at any cost. 

It will not be surprising to see overall property premiums affected somewhat, even far away from the paths of Harvey, Irma and Maria. Insurers must replenish their surpluses, and are going to be paying more to reinsure their risks in order to continue offering the amount of insurance needed not only by businesses and homeowners, but by schools and other public facilities supporting their communities.

A new social media app called “Sarahah” has been downloaded by tens of millions of smart phone users in the past few months and is gaining significant popularity among children and teens. The name “Sarahah” roughly translates to “honesty.” The designed purpose of the app is to solicit and receive “honest” feedback anonymously with no way to trace who posted the comment. The concern with the app being used by young people is the danger of cyberbullying and that those posting abusive feedback would be undeterred by fear of repercussions. 

Sarahah can be connected as an add-on to the popular Snapchat application. Google Play and iTunes App Store rate Sarahah as an app for ages 17+. Internet watchdog Common Sense Media also emphasizes the 17+ age rating and describes the app as an “(a)nonymous evaluation tool…ready-made for cyberbullying.” 

Using contact information on the user’s phone, Sarahah allows sharing of anonymous comments with those known contacts, but also allows for searching and commenting to unknown users. This means young people could receive feedback from strangers who simply look for their online profile. If no restrictions are applied in their privacy settings, even people who are not registered in the app will be able to send anonymous comments to the user. Unfortunately, there is a great likelihood some would go far beyond constructive, honest feedback in their comments, and resort to abusive, derogatory, and sexual remarks. 

Any social media that permits anyone to send an untraceable, unidentifiable message to a minor presents a concern for sexual or mental harassment. Particularly vulnerable youth are at serious risk for suicide if subjected to such abuse. In addition, children or teens who face no accountability or chance of being identified may be tempted to write comments they would never tell someone directly. Out of their immaturity, those kids may have to confront the reality of having caused a fatal tragedy because of a weak or angry moment. 

School staff and parents should be aware of the dangers Sarahah or similar anonymous messaging apps or social media platforms create for students. Considering the frequency of suicide due to harassment among college age students, we would encourage great caution even for those over 18. Educating children on how to handle online harassment and bullying is important no matter what online communication channels they use. To keep them protected, young people should have very restrictive privacy settings on their devices to limit undesirable access to their personal information and profiles.

During the past 20 years, our world has become increasingly connected and we all depend on many pieces of technology to conduct day-to-day activities. A large segment of public sector business is now transacted using online access through a variety of devices and interfaces. This has improved efficiency, saved time and money for agencies and their constituents, and greatly facilitated communication and distribution of vital and timely information. Just as important as everyone being able to gain physical access to public facilities, people with disabilities or other limitations must be able to easily access online resources provided by public agencies. 

The federal Rehabilitation Act was amended in 1998, adding Section 508 that incorporates sixteen rules for Web-based intranet and internet information and applications. On January 18, 2017, a final rule was issued to update accessibility requirements for information and communication technology (ICT) covered by Section 508. 

In 2003, the State of California enacted Government Code Section 11135, requiring all of its agencies and departments to comply with federal Section 508. The California Department of Education (CDE) has adopted Accessibility Standards for designing and developing web sites to keep their agency in compliance. CDE’s standards can serve as best practices for local educational agencies to use for their own online assets. 

Complying with Section 508 and state law is important for ensuring everyone in our communities can use the Internet resources for interacting and transacting with their local governments. From enrollments, information requests, employment opportunities, providing feedback, to critical public safety notifications, these capabilities have become indispensable. From a risk management standpoint, districts that have non-compliant web sites could potentially face civil rights actions and costly lawsuits from individuals unable to access district resources online