Preventing Your District from Lawsuits
Over 60% of principals say they have been threatened with a legal challenge, and more than 82% of teachers say the current legal climate has changed the way they work. These statistics probably don’t surprise you, but they may cause you stress as you ponder how to calm the fear. After all, part of your job is to protect your school from lawsuits.
While the threat of lawsuits may not keep you up at night, I’m sure you’ve wandered the halls a time or two wondering if your leaders, teachers, and auxiliary staff feel as prepared as they need to be to ensure a lawsuit never happens. You may also ponder if they have received adequate training to not only perform their duties – but to also manage the upset parent, the disengaged student, or the latest regulations passed by the State.
Top 5 Areas School Districts Are Most Vulnerable for a Lawsuit
There are five areas where school districts are most vulnerable for a lawsuit:
1. Special Education
2. Section 504
3. Sexual Harassment
4. Discrimination
5. Payroll Issues
These five areas are the most common issues where school districts rack up legal bills. Ensuring the leadership at the school and at the district level are well trained in these areas – and managing their staff accordingly – is critical to your success in lawsuit avoidance.
Accomplishing this by having a well trained staff means your educators will be free to focus on the performance of students within the district and schools – instead of focusing a lot of wasted energy and effort wondering if their actions today will cause them to end up in the courtroom tomorrow.
Because we live in a litigious society, where more and more parents are blaming school districts instead of taking the responsibility for the actions of their children, pretending your district will never be hit with a lawsuit isn’t reasonable.
What is reasonable is changing the way you prepare your team.
The question is no longer, “What have I got to do to keep our district out of court?” The question now is: When I stand before a judge, will I be on the winning side?
Any attorney will tell you that if you are doing your job correctly, treating people fairly, being consistent in the implementation of policies and procedures, and keeping proper documentation, the answer to that question is yes.
So how do you know that all of the i’s are dotted and the t’s are crossed at every campus across your district – in every single department? How do you ensure you are able to provide your entire staff legal updates on a regular basis – so you know they are informed about what laws have changed and about the practices and procedures that might need to be looked at more carefully?
The answer is simple. You need a comprehensive online training and communication system that will automate your training, gauge comprehension, and provide a way for you to quickly update your entire district on changes.
Discover why school districts across the nation are utilizing the Infinit-I Workforce System for staff training districtwide when you schedule a free demo of the system.
LEARN HOW THE INFINIT-I WORKFORCE SYSTEM CAN HELP YOUR SCHOOL:
Training on each of these areas is now available on the Infinit-I Workforce System. Learn more about how to prevent your school district from lawsuits in the era of “let’s sue a school district” with the Infinit-I Workforce System.
