Best Administrative Practices Involving Liability
Become familiar with the school’s emergency/health procedures in order to improve teachers’ responses to student injury.
To avoid liability teachers must employ a standard of care with is equivalent to that of a
“reasonable and prudent person” (LaMorte, 2012, p.327). LaMorte (2012), further indicated that this standard will be influenced by the “age of student, mental capacity, environment and circumstance of injury” (p.327). For instance, you would not leave a kindergarten class unattended with scissors. Despite teacher’s best efforts accidents may still occur, therefore, it is increasingly important to have clear and practical emergency procedures. It can be beneficial to create a school-wide emergency response team to insure that the student’s injuries are minimized in an event of bodily injury. Finally, teachers should be trained on the appropriate technologies in order to accurately report classroom incidents.
Clearly communicate the expected time of school arrival and departure to parents as an effort to maintain a reasonable degree of student supervision. LaMorte indicated that schools are placed under “a general duty to supervise the conduct of children on school grounds during school sessions, school activities, recess and lunch periods” (LaMorte, 2012, p.330). Student arrival by bus can be considered the beginning of the school day, therefore, teachers or support staff must be present at that time. Although in
Any exit where students leave the building or congregate before or after school should be supervised by a school official.
Usage of equipment should be monitored constantly and children should be given instructions of how to use it. Equipment should be stored safely and should be checked and maintained regularly. Any damaged equipment should be removed, repaired or made unreachable if its condition creates a risk of hazard.
My schools attendance policy sets out how the school manages issues around attendance. Attendance has to be monitored carefully to ensure there are no unauthorised absences or long spells of unexplained absences. Both children and parents have a
This means keeping children safe from accidents (i.e. road safety), crime and bullying and actively promoting their well-being in a healthy, safe and supportive environment. It also encompasses issues such as pupil health and safety and bullying, about which there are specific statutory requirements, and a range of other issues, for example, arrangements for meeting the medical needs of children with medical conditions, providing first aid, school security, drugs and substance misuse.
ensuring that there is an effective way of reporting any hazards to the appropriate person so that any required action can be taken. Every school is
Every school must have at least one fully qualified first aider. In my setting, every member of staff has an emergency first-aid in school certificate, myself included. If a child suffers a minor injury, these can normally be dealt with in school, e.g. a bumped head may require an ice-pack or cold compression. Cuts and grazes cleaned with water, and a plaster applied, if applicable. An accident form must be filled in and a copy kept for school records and a copy sent home to the parent/carer. If you have witnessed the incident, you should note the details and action taken. If it is a more serious injury, the parent/carer will be contacted. This might include if a child has vomited or has a cut that may require more urgent medical attention, e.g. Stitches.
Schools are required to have policies and procedures as they safe guard the staff and pupils and
procedures that must be followed in case of accidents, it also specifies that classrooms and
There is a need that each school, its administrators and teachers should know the law of torts. In order to create a "culture of safety" principals should manage the risk of negligence to the faculty and students. As Burgett and Schwartz state, “being a teacher, administrator, board member, school employee, parent, or even a student is tricky business these days” (p.9). Therefore, each decision or actions’ steps should be made based upon ethical and legal principles. The particular high school puts an emphasis on health and safety issues. The school, the buildings, and the classroom are certainly the most critical areas of an educational institution where safety and health take place but also behavior and attitude reflect the importance of the serious business of learning. Therefore, the following three legal issues: unsupervised students, hallways, and field trips demand some improvements, accommodations or extra care to maintain the safety and healthy environment for students and employees.
In dealing with an accident or hazard for example if a child was to trip and fall in the playground, there are set instructions to follow to ensure the incident is dealt with appropriately. This would involve taking the child to a registered first aider within the building to allow the child to receive treatment on any injury they may have received. An accident for needs to be filled out so that the accident has been recorded, this then needs to be logged and reported to a senior member or staff. As well as this the incident will need to be reported to and explain to the parents. An extra measure would be to carry out an assessment of the playground to make sure there are no hazards which may have caused the accident such as stones or glass for a child to trip over or no broken equipment or uneven surfaces which may cause futures problems.
There are first aid kits within school and they are kept up to date by the nominated first aiders. The school also has portable first aid kits for trips and visits away from the school grounds. The policy sates that if a serious incident occurs such as unconsciousness, severe allergic reaction, suspected fractures etc., 999 must be called along with the parents immediately.
The bus was due to leave at 9am. As soon as the children arrived at 8.30am and ushered into the class, they were settled down and the register was taken, ensuring all the children that were going on the trip were present. Before departing, we ensured all the children had their coats, that they had their packed lunch in a carrier bag and that it was labelled with their name. We also asked the children if they needed to go to the toilet so
When an emergency situation arises, it's essential that you are able to recognise it, as well as respond. Emergency situations such as fires are suddenly notice and quick recognition can be crucial. When aware of a fire, alert the nearest fire alarm and evacuate the building through the nearest fire exit. If you at any point in the school day hear the fire alarm. Everyone must immediately leave the building via their nearest fire exit (this is rehearsed often throughtout the year to make sure everyone is fully aware of what to do). If a child has an illness, then you must first speak to the child in question and become
To adhere with policies and procedures of organisation and health and safety legislation; emergency first aid tasks carried out incorrectly can be dangerous/ increase risks to the individual.
It was the teachers’ duty of care to manage a safe environment for the students to perform the experiment without a risk of injury or damages to themselves or school property. The teacher broke his duty of care by not providing