Insurance for Private Schools

Property Insurance Advantages

• Bleachers, ticket booths and refreshment stands
• Broadened water
• Communication equipment, computers and media
• Disappearing deductible
• Extra expense
• Loss of income – planned events (actual loss sustained)
• Money, securities and stamps
• Outdoor fences, signs, trees, shrubs and plants
• Personal property of teachers and others
• Portable classrooms
• Property off-premises
• Refrigerated property
• Equipment breakdown
• Tuition and fees
• Violent event extra expense

General Liability Insurance Advantages

• Blanket additional insured coverage
• Coverage for school nurses and athletic trainers
• Limits applicable on a per location basis
• PTAs and booster clubs included as additional insured
• Volunteers and temporary workers included as insured

Commercial Automobile Insurance Advantages

• Additional transportation expense
• Coverage for employees using non-owned, hired or borrowed autos
• Hired car physical damage
• Physical damage to vehicle of employees or volunteers

You might not realize it, but working in a school puts you in the safety and security business.

In today’s world, your organization needs to be as prepared as possible to ward off threats – which include risks such as active shooters, bomb threats and data breaches. 

Today’s schools can create a greater comfort level by:

1. Learning about the risks.
2. Preparing or updating a plan. 
3. Using resources: View Selective's risk management resources for private schools. 

The most recent data on active shooters from the Federal Bureau of Investigation showed that:

• There were 40 active shooter incidents (defined as “one or more individuals actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a populated area”) in 2014-15 across 26 states.
• These incidents killed 92 people and injured 139.
• 15 of the 40 incidents occurred in a business environment. Six occurred in schools or colleges, while two were carried out in houses of worship.

Five waves of bomb threats targeted 81 locations in 33 states and two Canadian provinces in January-February 2017, the JCC Association of North America reported. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, which tracks bomb threats, reported in its most recent data:

• 1,693 bomb threat incidents were reported in 2014.
• Schools experienced 397 bomb threats in 2014.
• From 2010-2014, bomb threats to schools grew 84%.

Data breaches are costly to schools, according to 2017 data from the Ponemon Institute:

• Educational institutions in the United States shoulder a cost of $245 per record after a data breach.
• Schools face significant disruption from a data breach, including notifications of contacts, determination of regulatory requirements, help desk activities, investigative activities, remediation, legal expenditures, and identity protection services.

Knowledge is power.
Help your organization be prepared to maintain a safe and secure environment.

The emergency preparedness plan for your school should answer important questions such as:

• What security controls (such as alarms, cameras, locked premises and security team) are currently in place?
• Has the organization conducted a recent security assessment?
• Have we discussed safety with our local law enforcement and our legal team?
• In case of an emergency, do we have an evacuation process, meeting place, safe areas, and escape routes?
• Would employees know what to do in an emergency? Does the response need to be different depending on the type of emergency? Do they need training?
• What do we need to do immediately following an emergency to protect life, property and reputation?

Selective notes these federal government resources are also available at no charge:

Active Shooter: What You Can Do: FEMA’s online course on what to do before, during and after an active shooter incident.

How to Prepare For and Respond During and After an Active Shooter Incident

Evacuation Plans and Procedures eTool

See an overview of Selective’s Risk Management resources for your organization.