Dive Brief:
- Replacing school buildings where mass shootings took place, mental health counseling for students and staff members, and even funerals are some of the expenses covered by insurance policies that protect school districts if an active shooter incident takes places, according to CBS News.
- Interest in such policies, which can also cover costs for updated security systems and litigation, has increased in recent years alongside premiums — ranging from $1,400 for $1 million of insurance for a small private school to $100,000 for $10 million in coverage for a large school district. But the cost of building a new school, or part of a building where an incident occurred, can soar even higher, with the cost of replacing Sandy Hook Elementary hitting $50 million.
- While President Donald Trump and some state policymakers are advocating arming educators and other school staff members as a preventive measure, insurance companies are opposed to such policies, the article says.
Dive Insight:
In Kansas, for example, the law allows teachers to be armed, but most schools aren’t implementing the legislation because they risk losing their insurance coverage. Companies view the presence of more guns on campus as an increased liability.
These new types of “active shooter” policies are different from general liability insurance, according to an article in Governing. Instead of waiting until a lawsuit is filed to activate the coverage, the policy protects the school as soon as an incident occurs. Some companies also provide other services, such as additional layers of monitoring to minimize risks and safety training.
These aspects of the coverage can provide school leaders with additional confidence that they are doing what they can to protect their school community.
