The Teacher Liability Scare
Karen Stroud, ProEd Member Services Coordinator
Due to their unique role, teachers face a
much greater exposure to liability than does
the average citizen and, therefore, must
exercise a higher duty of care than most
professionals. Every day teachers must deal
with diverse laws related to issues such as
child abuse, student discipline, negligence,
defamation, student records, and copyright
infringement. Tennessee teachers often
cite professional liability insurance as a
major reason for becoming a member of a
professional organization, and rightly so.
more heavily used by our members than is
liability protection.
The insurance and legal protection provided
to our members is the best that is available
to educators and education students or
offered by any education association in the
state of Tennessee. No other association in
our state matches the protection offered
by Professional Educators of Tennessee.
Our
Educators
Professional
Liability
Insurance Policy includes up to $2 million in
professional liability insurance, the broadest
coverage available, as well as extensive
employment rights defense. This means you
will be provided legal assistance in many
employment disputes, recommendations
for non-reemployment, termination of
employment, and reduction in force.
We know that in the world we live in today,
teachers can indeed be sued if a child falls
down and breaks his arm on the playground.
A playground monitor can be sued for not
providing the child with a “safe environment”
at school. Without other alternatives, teachers
feel they have no choice but to join a teacher
labor union in order to feel protected in such
a litigious society. That is far from accurate. In Don’t Be Fooled
Tennessee, as in many other states, teachers The stories we hear and incidents witnessed
now have a choice.
first-hand of other groups’ use of the
membership benefit of liability insurance
Today, independent, state-focused, non- as a principal organizing tool borders on
union, professional educator groups are the coercion. They count on teachers’ fear of
fastest growing segment of teachers in the being sued and lack of knowledge about
nation. They promote professional/career alternative sources of liability insurance to
development moving teachers forward in draw them into membership. We don’t scare
a positive way. We offer twice the liability our members with unnecessary fear tactics.
In reality, the employment protection coverage is much more
heavily used by our members than is liability protection.
protection as teacher labor unions do, lower
costs, and other attractions without the
politics, the hierarchy, and the high dues
price. Teachers now have options when it
comes to liability insurance coverage. Even
more importantly, they are far more likely to
encounter situations related to employment
rights rather than liability insurance. In reality,
the employment protection coverage is much
Unlike other organizations where employment
protection is discretionary, Professional
Educators of Tennessee has no committee
or group of people who will decide whether
or not you will be represented should you
face such an employment situation. This
coverage saves our members thousands of
dollars in legal fees every year and provides
immeasurable peace of mind.