Lockport Township High School Return to School Transition Plan Includes Report on Consultation with Liability Insurance Provider
UPDATE, 8/14/20:
Lockport Township High School District 205's Draft Return to School Transition Plan includes a report back from district staff's consultation with the district's liability insurance provider.
The section labeled "Liability Insurance" on page 17 of the district's Draft Return to School Transition Plan reads:
"Liability Insurance Consultation with our liability insurance provider, CLIC, has been an important part of the development of this plan. Coverage for COVD 19 related illnesses or fatalities related to the possible exposure in the school place is not an insurance product that has been developed across the United States. Such claims from a school district or from an individual would most likely be denied as an “exclusion” in our policy; however, it should be emphasized that this is liability insurance and the following statement from CLIC is important relative to the planning we
are doing in this memorandum:
“...the best protection a district has against a lawsuit is to follow Federal/State/Local statutes along with guidelines provided by the CDC, Public Health Departments, IHSA, ISBE, etc. as best as possible. Keep in mind your district, as an IL Public Entity, has Tort Immunities as well which “raises the bar” and means a plaintiff would have to show the district as “willfully and wantonly” negligent in them contracting COVID. If your district is reasonably following guidelines provided by groups like the above this is going to be very hard to do, if not near impossible.”
This memorandum recommends that the Board of Education endorse the ISBE Starting the 2020-2021 School Year guidelines in part to demonstrate that we have not been “willful and wanton” in preparing for students and staff members to return to in-person learning."
The District's Draft plan recommends the Board adopt a Hybrid model that will split students at both the Central and East Campus into two groups. Students in group A would attend in-person on Monday and Thursday and students in group B would attend in-person on Tuesday and Friday.
This schedule will reduce the number of students in the school buildings at any one time.
Wednesdays would be a blend of some all-remote learning and then the two groups would rotate in-person learning. Remote learning activities would be provided on days students do not attend in-person.
This Draft Return to School Plan will be discussed at the July 20, 2020 Lockport Township School District 205 Board meeting. The meeting starts at 7:00 p.m. and directions for both in-person attendance and watching the meeting virtually can be found here.
Lockport Township High School District 205's Draft Return to School Transition Plan includes a report back from district staff's consultation with the district's liability insurance provider.
The section labeled "Liability Insurance" on page 17 of the district's Draft Return to School Transition Plan reads:
"Liability Insurance Consultation with our liability insurance provider, CLIC, has been an important part of the development of this plan. Coverage for COVD 19 related illnesses or fatalities related to the possible exposure in the school place is not an insurance product that has been developed across the United States. Such claims from a school district or from an individual would most likely be denied as an “exclusion” in our policy; however, it should be emphasized that this is liability insurance and the following statement from CLIC is important relative to the planning we
are doing in this memorandum:
“...the best protection a district has against a lawsuit is to follow Federal/State/Local statutes along with guidelines provided by the CDC, Public Health Departments, IHSA, ISBE, etc. as best as possible. Keep in mind your district, as an IL Public Entity, has Tort Immunities as well which “raises the bar” and means a plaintiff would have to show the district as “willfully and wantonly” negligent in them contracting COVID. If your district is reasonably following guidelines provided by groups like the above this is going to be very hard to do, if not near impossible.”
This memorandum recommends that the Board of Education endorse the ISBE Starting the 2020-2021 School Year guidelines in part to demonstrate that we have not been “willful and wanton” in preparing for students and staff members to return to in-person learning."
The District's Draft plan recommends the Board adopt a Hybrid model that will split students at both the Central and East Campus into two groups. Students in group A would attend in-person on Monday and Thursday and students in group B would attend in-person on Tuesday and Friday.
This schedule will reduce the number of students in the school buildings at any one time.
Wednesdays would be a blend of some all-remote learning and then the two groups would rotate in-person learning. Remote learning activities would be provided on days students do not attend in-person.
This Draft Return to School Plan will be discussed at the July 20, 2020 Lockport Township School District 205 Board meeting. The meeting starts at 7:00 p.m. and directions for both in-person attendance and watching the meeting virtually can be found here.
