Teacher Liability

Teaching is an awesome responsibility. Educators are not only responsible for instructing students but are also responsible for taking good care of students.

Even in the best schools, there are times when things go wrong, and students get injured…physically or emotionally.

Such situations are difficult for all concerned. occasionally, to make matters worse, parents sometimes sue the school district in order to claim damages. In many cases, a teacher’s judgement and/or actions are called into question.

As a teacher, you may be questioned during the process of investigating the lawsuit. If it happens, it will be “taught to handle” emotionally.

Here are a few things that you should know:

• If there’s an incident like a fight, an accident, some serious bullying, etc., and you’re in charge as a supervisor, the question comes up as to whether or not the incident was PREVENTABLE.

• Hopefully, you’ll be able to explain that your rules, procedures, and actions would pass this two-part test: 1. Could a competent teacher foresee that things were such that the bad outcome could happen? 2. Was the response of the teacher in line with what a responsible, competent teacher would do under these circumstances?

When you supervise students, whether it’s while you’re teaching a class, on hallway supervision duty, coaching a team, the “sight and sound” principle is important to remember. Are your kids within sight and sound? Or are they blocked from your vision, too far away to be seen or heard, or sent to another place with a chance that they may never get there?

The competent, responsible teacher keeps hi “charges,” the kids in her/his care, within “sight and sound.”