Parks and recreation professionals must recognize potential hazards in playground design, installation, and maintenance. Current safety risks are from older equipment that does not comply with modern standards and has not been safety inspected. The National Playground Safety Institute's certification program is an important step toward reliable…

Lists the components of an inservice program on school safety and liability: discussions of current trends, legal terminology, specific cases, tort liability, and a safety survey of the environment and teaching practices. (Author/JM)

School districts should develop a risk management program with policies and procedures that demonstrate reasonable care and that include regular inspection of all buildings and grounds. Highlights areas of potential legal difficulty. (MLF)

An Educational Risk Management Plan (ERMP) should be incorporated throughout every school district. Discusses property and liability insurance classifications and features of a good ERMP. (12 references) (MLF)

College union administrators should be careful about the use of facilities, particularly in public schools, because of the potential for legal liability. Institutions of higher education today are vulnerable to being sued in regard to issues of free speech, trespass, and religion. Areas of potential liability include (1) serving alcoholic…

Discusses safety concerns related to independent study projects at both school and off-campus sites. Provides questions to evaluate and manage student projects and cites important procedural steps to promote student safety, enhance educational return, and limit teacher liability.

Preventing accidents in the first place should be the goal of school transportation directors. To do this, and limit liability, a district must (1) have a strong driver-training program; (2) check drivers' records and references; (3) provide and record maintenance of the bus fleet; and (4) spell out operating and training opportunities in…

Discussed are facts about tort liability in science education and strategies that can be used to avoid liability. Variables such as maturity, size, age, mental capacity of students, and the nature of the activities are addressed. Included are four cases in which teachers were held liable for accidents. (KR)

The US Constitution, federal and state legislatures, courts, and regulations permit physical restraint for both therapeutic (i.e., behavior change) and risk prevention purposes. Although most venues limit restraint as punishment, no government entity prohibits use of physical restraint as a response to imminent danger. This paper provides a…

Wisconsin law requires school compliance with the eye safety code. Administrators or coordinators should hold monthly inspections, as well as annual meetings to explain the program and assign responsibilities. Safety coordinators should analyze activity hazards, and faculty should communicate the information to students. Eye equipment must meet…

Safety education information is provided in this guide designed for Pennsylvania industrial arts teachers. Twelve sections and section topics include the following: introduction (policy statement on safety); responsibility (school board and superintendent, principal and/or department head, the teacher); emergency action (primary concerns,…

This document consists of the six issues of the "Wilderness Medicine Newsletter" issued during 1995. The newsletter addresses issues related to the treatment and prevention of medical emergencies in the wilderness. Issues typically include feature articles, interviews with doctors in the field of wilderness medicine, product reviews,…

A monograph examines the role of risk and risk management in experiential education, particularly stress/challenge programming. Definitions of risk are presented. The importance of risk and stress in experiential education is emphasized. Implications of subjective versus objective risk assessment in adventure education are discussed, with…

This paper presents a viewpoint on educator responsibilities toward helping youth develop the skills necessary to cope with life as well as consideration on how to present science in a safe environment. Discussions include safety in the learning environment, litigation, effective teaching, effective schools, the goals of science, and the mandate…

Reports on a chemistry laboratory accident intervention study conducted throughout the state of Colorado. Addresses the results of an initial survey of institutions of higher learning. Discusses some legal aspects concerning academic chemistry accidents. Provides some observations about academic chemistry laboratory accidents on the whole. (TW)