We often think of liability insurance for teachers as something needed for more active jobs.
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Why I Use Liability Insurance as a Teacher
We often think of liability insurance for teachers as something needed for more active jobs.
Construction workers, plumbers, or electricians, for example. But protection for teachers is something different altogether. It can be easy to assume we’re covered through unions, districts, or professional organizations. When it comes to ensuring you’re 100% covered for everything, you may face in the workplace, taking personal responsibility for your insurance is a must.
According to the OOH, the average salary for a modern teacher is around $54,000. With a lawsuit generally costing $25,000 and up, that’s almost half of your salary as a teacher gone in a second should the worst happen. Getting professional cover in the classroom is essential to ensure you’re protected should anything go wrong. Many professionals, from lawyers to doctors, consider working with the public reason enough alone to have comprehensive cover; and teaching is no different.
There’s also no doubt that teaching is more dangerous than it ever has been, with a report by the Department of Education found in 2008 that threats have been made against a significant proportion of teachers across the US. This includes:
- 11% of urban high school teachers
- 7% of high school teachers in suburban areas
- 7% of rural high school teachers
With these threats increasing, liability insurance protects teachers when they have no choice but to fight back. Responding to violent actions from students is one of the most significant causes of lawsuits and liabilities placed upon teachers by parents. So when it comes to being safe, it’s a case of the safer, the better.
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Here are just a few reasons why liability insurance for teachers is needed:
Liability insurance can provide that safety net should the worst happen; if it doesn’t, then at least you have the peace of mind to continue teaching effectively.
Technology in schools
As technology in all its forms has increased in education, teachers are more at risk than ever of being on the receiving end of a poorly edited video. With the ability for videos to be placed online for all to see in seconds, one slip-up can be career-changing for some teachers. Social media is difficult to contain, and when it comes to your students, good judgment isn’t always at the forefront of their minds. Insuring yourself can help provide a little protection against this technology to ensure your job is safe even if someone unfavorable is broadcast online.
Protect yourself from mistakes
Everyone makes mistakes. There’s not one person who has never been the recipient of an accidental injury, whether colliding heads with someone else on the playground or falling foul of a thrown football. Mistakes happen, and they don’t just have to be physical. But in a landscape where parents are quick to create lawsuits, protecting yourself from errors is an unfortunate reality of the modern world. Whether it’s accidentally spilling coffee on a student’s laptop or hitting a student with a ball from a bad throw, being insured is better safe than sorry.
Mistakes happen, but they certainly don’t have to cost you anywhere near as much as they could if you weren’t insured.
False allegations are increasingly common
Lawsuits have increasingly become an on-trend method to gain access to quick cash, and with that increase has come the threat of false allegations. If it’s your word against a student, it can be challenging to prove when something didn’t happen. As it should be, people are inclined to believe a child when they say something serious has happened; but when their allegation is false, it can spell trouble for you as a teacher. Being covered ensures that, if an accusation is made, you don’t find yourself in a pit and can overcome even the most difficult situations.
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