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Insurance coverage Information
Nicole Panterkos
With the brand new faculty yr in full swing, considerations about classroom violence have come to the forefront, particularly following this month’s mass taking pictures at Apalachee Excessive College in Georgia.
The controversy about making faculties safer continues, with presidential candidates stepping up their efforts, together with Vice President Kamala Harris just lately asserting two new gun management payments. Safety measures – New analysis from Gallagher Bassett has revealed a positive trend: a decline in insurance claims relating to student-teacher violence.
Decreasing trend of school violence
According to Gallagher Bassett, allegations of violence by students against teachers, including incidents resulting in physical harm such as biting, punching and other aggressive behavior, fell 39% this year compared to the 2022-2023 school year. Additionally, the total cost of these claims fell by almost 50%.
“We conducted a cohort study using a large portion of education claims data,” said Greg McKenna, national practice leader for the public sector at Gallagher Bassett, “analysing data from around 2,000 client schools in both urban and rural areas to look at incidents of violence between students and teachers over several years both before and after the pandemic.”
The study found that while reports peaked in the 2017-2018 school year with 1,349 incidents, student-on-teacher violence has declined in the years since the pandemic.
In fiscal year 2023-2024, there were 868 assault allegations totaling $4.9 million, a significant decrease from fiscal year 2022-2023, which recorded 1,426 allegations and costs of $9.7 million.
The need for strengthened workers’ compensation insurance policies
While it’s difficult to pinpoint the exact cause of the decline in student-teacher violence, McKenna suggested it could be due to a renewed emphasis on mental health and student support services as in-person classes resume after the pandemic.
“I’m hopeful that we’ll continue to see a reduction in the number of these claims because, quite frankly, these are the types of claims that nobody wants to see,” he said.
But when these incidents do occur, the trauma often goes beyond physical injuries, highlighting the need for insurance companies and state legislatures to consider pushing workers’ compensation policies to put more emphasis on PTSD and mental health supports for teachers.
“While I’m not saying we’re seeing an overall decrease in work-related injuries for teachers, we are pleased to see a decrease in violence between students and teachers,” McKenna said. “It’s something we’ll continue to keep an eye on.”
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