We recommend that every charter school have a student accident insurance policy for various reasons. Of most importance, though, is that it will protect both you and the student if they are injured while in the school’s care.
There are also several unforeseen expenses associated with student accidents as well.
- Unplanned out-of-pocket expenses to the school for medical expenses.
- Unexpected costs to the parents.
- The administrative burden on the school is to settle the matters with parents and possible regulatory committees.
- Possibility of parents bringing suit against the school to settle the claim.
With that in mind, we thought we would share some insight regarding student accidents.
Frequency
The following are the most frequent accidents encountered by students while on the school’s premises:
- Slips/Trips/Falls
- Playground Equipment
- Fighting/Horseplay
- Organized Sports
- Animal-related (Bee Stings, Dog Bites, etc.)
- Other (Food Poisoning, Burns, etc.)
It should be noted that Slips, Trips, and falls account for more accidents than every other one on the list combined. They are by far the most common injury at schools, but they are not the most expensive.
Severity
The following is a list of claims by severity:
- Organized Sports
- Other (Food Poisoning, Burns, etc.)
- Playgrounds
- Slips/Trips/Falls
- Fighting/Horseplay
- Animal-related (Bee Stings, Dog Bites, etc.)
Each year, more than 775,000 children under the age of 15 are treated for sports-related injuries and have an average cost of anywhere from $5,000 to $20,000.
