Specialty Risk Management - Bullying

Bullying can happen at anytime or anywhere. It is not limited by geographic location or environment. It crosses all sectors of society. Most bullying occurs in and around school, although the internet lends itself to particularly distressing forms of bullying. In this session, participants will learn what bullying is, the types of bullying, and the origins of bullying behavior. They will identify areas where teachers, administrators, and boards may be held liable for bullying activity with their schools and districts and the insurance implications. They will discuss tools and strategies for controlling those exposures, including coverage provided or not provided in the ISO Homeowners Policy and Personal Umbrella Policy.

In this session, participants will discuss the difference between harassment and bullying. They will better understand Title IX of The Education Amendments of 1972 and be able to identify the types of bullying, including cyberbullying, which are prohibited and expose schools, administrations, and boards to liability. They will discuss liability for bullying and harassment under Federal laws, including Title II of the Americans with Disability Act (ADA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act (Section 504), and Individuals with Disabilities in Education Improvement Act (IDEIA/IDEA). They will examine insurance policies that may provide coverage for bullying and harassment allegations, such as: Educators’ Legal Liability Coverage, Directors & Officers Liability Coverage, and Employment Practices Liability policies.

Bullying and cyberbullying threaten students’ physical and emotional safety and can impact their social and academic success at school. In this session, participants will learn what cyberbullying is, the various forms of cyberbullying, and how they affect student interaction and academic achievement. They will discuss suicide and how it relates to bullying. They will examine the warning signs and identify the behaviors of at-risk students. By the end of the session, they will better understand common cyber issues for students and the importance for schools, parents, and students to stay safe online by taking proactive steps to protect them against cyberbullying at home and within schools.

Workplace aggression is particularly difficult because, unlike the typical school bully, workplace bullies often operate within the established rules and policies of their organization. In this session, participants will identify the characteristics of adult bullying in the workplace, discuss the difference between workplace bullying and school bullying, and examine those behaviors and their impact on the school environment. They will identify sources of liability for individual teachers, staff, and the school board and/or district because of adult bullying. They will look at insurance coverage for potential exposures that may be provided in the ISO Homeowners Policy, Personal Umbrella Policy, General Liability Policy, Educators’ Legal Liability Coverage, Directors & Officers Liability Coverage, and Employment Practices Liability policies.

All 50 U.S. states have adopted anti-bullying legislation. Most state laws, policies, and regulations require school districts and schools to implement a bullying policy including procedures to investigate and respond to bullying complaints. In this session, participants will explore legislation that affects liability of schools, administrations, and boards. Using an example bullying prevention policy guidelines and information on national anti-bullying legislation, participants will compare and contrast their state’s bullying prevention guidelines in their school, board, and/or district policies.

Bullying situations usually involve more than the bully and the victim. They involve bystanders. In this session, participants will discuss the types of bystanders, reasons why they don’t intervene, things that bystanders can do, and how to prepare children to be helpful bystanders and build a positive school culture. They will examine ways to build a safe school environment through class management, integrating rules and policies in day-to-day interactions, and establishing an effective reporting system. Through use of a sample assessment tool, participants will determine school, board, and/or district bullying policy situations awareness.