Among the public health impacts associated with the COVID pandemic, a general increase in stress and mental health issues has emerged in its wake. At your schools; staff, students, and parents have likely been affected by a lack of socialization, economic difficulties, grief, fear, long-term illness, or uncertainty. Many of you are also dealing with staff shortages, which place increased burdens on your available employees, and the resulting stress may sometimes lead to a rise in injuries and illnesses.

Insurers are paying attention to the measures governmental agencies take – or fail to take – in protecting their information technology (IT) systems and stored data. Looking toward the future, you may be facing a July 1 deadline from your liability insurer requiring that you have basic levels of cybersecurity protections in place or risk losing your coverage for cyber related breaches. Implementing procedures for accessing computer resources involving multi-factor authentication (MFA) can make your school’s or public agency’s network as much as 99% less vulnerable to unauthorized intrusion, according to Microsoft.

California’s mandate of COVID vaccination for both students and staff, imposes a responsibility on your district to verify compliance with the requirement. Anyone working on your campus must provide their COVID vaccination status following the California Department of Public Health order issued August 11, 2021:

The crisis of the unhoused is no longer a hidden issue. We have seen an unprecedented proliferation of transient encampments with related trespassing, property damage, illicit and hazardous waste exposures. Law enforcement agencies are reporting increases in both violent and non-violent crimes attributable to the unhoused population.

Winter storms and low temperatures have the potential to create significant damage and financial loss to your facilities. Water and freezing damages are the second most frequently filed insurance claims in the U.S., accounting for an average of $13 billion in losses annually. While the average cost for a water damage claim is about $10,000, in public school buildings individual claims costs soar.

In thousands of communities throughout California and widespread areas of the nation, wildfires pose a serious risk to life and property. The danger is especially acute at the wildland urban interface (WUI) – where vegetative fuels and the built environment meet. As large cities and small towns grew, there was a lot of new construction in areas bordering wildlands. Tens of thousands of homes, school buildings, public facilities and businesses have been consumed by wildfire in just the last decade.

In the twenty years since the September 11 attacks on the U.S., the proliferation of surveillance cameras is obvious. Such devices perform 24/7 watch over buildings, public areas and even our homes’ surroundings. When a criminal, accidental or otherwise suspicious incident occurs, law enforcement often seeks the video evidence collected by these numerous cameras to investigate what happened and apprehend those responsible. From a risk management standpoint, surveillance cameras have been useful in solving crimes, substantiating liability, and in deterring nefarious behavior.

For the most part, kids are excited to be returning to school in person, to see their friends and teachers and participate in more “normal” activities again. But many students will also face some anxiety as they come back to campus in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. It will not be a complete return to the way things were in the past and there will be significant rules and restrictions. You may anticipate both you and your students will encounter some challenges.

In a recent Keenan Blog, we presented information on a ransomware attack that targeted school districts and other public agencies. The IT vendor serving nearly 50,000 customers quickly detected the scheme and only about 50 organizations were actually breached. But vulnerabilities to small businesses and local agencies became apparent. This Trending Topics focuses on the steps schools can take to prevent their data and systems from being compromised and the best practices for recovering from a breach by cyber criminals.

The trend toward more collaborative learning environments is incorporating various concepts into school classrooms to facilitate greater creativity and flexibility. You may be exploring approaches including student seating with more mobility, portable storage and partitioning, relaxed and informal seating areas. The 21^st-century classroom shows potential for educational benefits, but you want to pay careful attention to safety considerations and risk management before implementing these measures.