The role of an expert witness in helping streamline and ensure the integrity of legal proceedings cannot be overstated. Still, plaintiff and defendant attorneys often face the challenge of finding, from case to case, a substantially credible expert who can withstand rigorous cross-examination and present an impactful testimony in court. Before...
All colleges and universities owe some level of care and have a duty to keep students reasonably safe while attending school and residing on campus. Colleges and universities have to plan and take proactive initiatives to minimize the incidence of violent crimes and student injury and harm resulting from college...
In the field of education administration and student supervision, the current professional standard of care related to prevention, detection, investigation, and remediation of child sexual abuse and harassment is the result of a cumulative progression of events and cultural changes over several decades. This includes standards for maintaining appropriate policies,...
Schools have a duty to protect students, faculty, and staff from harm arising from acts of violence, such as school shootings, when the harm is reasonably foreseeable. However, schools are not built like fortresses, nor should they be. It is not the latest security technology, metal detectors, or an indoor...
Public K-12 school districts, colleges, universities, and other educational institutions receiving public funds must operate their education programs and activities in a nondiscriminatory manner, free from discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity (Office for Civil Rights [OCR], 2021b). Since the new Title IX rule, known as the...
Children with disabilities in residential and therapeutic facilities are among those who are most vulnerable to abuse and other forms of harm. Protecting the safety of children and the facilities where they reside from costly litigation is achievable through proper policies, training, supervision of staff and students, and continued proactive...
Educating students is not the only responsibility of school districts. Federal and state laws require schools to be proactive about protecting the civil rights of their students and to foster a positive learning environment free from discriminatory harassment and abuse. Several federal laws — Title VI of the Civil Rights...
Schools, including public, private, and charter K-12 schools, and colleges and universities, have a responsibility to protect students from physical and emotional harm. Harm that creates a climate of fear can interfere with a student’s education, leading to a range of outcomes from failing courses to, in the worst case,...
Parents send their children to school expecting that their kids will be safe. The parents trust that the school’s staff will act in their place and look out for their children’s welfare in the same way they would. The presence of security guards, school police, or resource officers at the...
Statistically, it’s safer to transport children to and from school by school bus than by car, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Association. But accidents and other bus-related incidents that result in student injury and negligence are frequently causes for litigation and claims regarding negligent hiring of school bus...
A school has a responsibility to protect students from harm. Will arming teachers or placing armed security guards and police in the building make our schools safer and prevent school shootings? There is a great deal of debate as to whether more or different forms of attention to school safety...