Education

Higher Education Student Safety and Liability

The extent to which colleges and universities are liable for student safety is an issue that has undergone drastic change in recent decades, resulting in conflicting court decisions and a lack of clarity in the limits of the law. Since universities could potentially be liable for harm to students for negligence, it is crucial to acknowledge risks and take steps to prevent litigation.

School Violence – An Everyday Danger

Although school-associated violent deaths are rare events, any type of violence in educational facilities is tragic and disastrous. The media focuses on school shootings, but school violence includes a range of activities that can be equally damaging, including assaults with or without weapons, physical fights, threats or destructive acts, bullying, hostile or threatening remarks and gang violence. This violence can affect teachers, too, who are sometimes victims of threats of violence and intimidation.

The ACA and How Employment Breaks Apply for Educators

A local school district hires Mary, a long-time substitute, to be a substitute for Jane during Jane’s six week maternity leave and, during that period, credits Mary with 280 hours of service. Jane then returns and Mary is off work for ten weeks. At the end of those ten weeks, the district looks back and measures its part-time and variable hour employees to determine whom it must treat as full-time during the associated stability period. Mary averaged just 10.77 weekly hours during the measurement period. How could she be considered full-time?