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Advance the discipline of risk management and build a risk intelligent public school nation.  

August 29 , 2011                 Edition No. 2                     

In This Issue
Lincoln Schools Fire
Bullying Prevention Update
Teaching Kids Bus Safety
Summer Activity Review
Learning Series Wrap Up
Risk Central Contributors
Promoters of Innovation
Quick Links
Corporate Partners 
To visit partners site, click on name below:
Munich RE

Arthur J. Gallagher
SchoolDude

CBIZ 

Genesis Underwriting Mgt.
Willis
Company Nurse
Target Safety
Norman Peterson & Assoc.
Selective Insurance
Core Management Resources Group

School Bus Safety Company
Pittman & Company
MicroAssist, Inc.
Bickmore Risk Services
York Risk Services Group
Hour-Zero
SafeSchools.com
DuPont Training Solutions powered by Coastal



 

 

to learn more about the corporate partner
program  please visit
SchoolRisk.org and go to Sponsors.    
Founding 
 School Risk Groups
 
Florida School Boards Insurance Trust
 
Minnesota School Boards Insurance Trust
 
New York Schools Insurance Reciprocal
 
Schools of Ohio Risk Sharing Authority
 
Pennsylvania School Boards Association Insurance Trust


Seven other school risk groups have joined these founders.

 

SchoolRisk News 
Join Our Mailing List
Founding
 School Districts

City of Atlanta, GA

 

City of Chicago, IL

  

Clark County, NV


 

City of Cleveland, OH 


 

Dekalb County, GA

 

Fairfax County, VA
 

 Francis Howell, MO
 

Fulton County, GA

 

Miami-Dade, FL

 

Rockdale County,GA

 

San Francisco USD, CA


 

Wake County, NC 


 
Other districts that are direct or associate members now number more than 2,300.

 
To find out how to join, click here!


 
SchoolRisk.org
 

 
School leaders who are members can search the directory and find districts with similar risk management interests.
 
 


 

 for access to top risk management professionals.
Reports are compiled, distributed and archived to save time and money.

 
Quick Links

Forward Progress for School Risk Management 

Board of Directors

Mike Florio,  

Dekalb County Schools, Chairman

 

Dave George,  

San Francisco USD,  

Vice Chairman

 

Joe Goncalves,  

New York Schools Insurance Reciprocal,  

Treasurer

 

Mark McKinney,  

Florida School Boards Insurance Trust,  

Secretary

 

Denise Drill,  

Minnesota School Boards Insurance Trust

 

 

Roy Jacobs,

Pennsylvania School Boards Insurance Trust

 

Jack Lance,  

Rockdale County Schools

 

 

Wayne Smith,

Consultant

 

Kevin Supple,  

Francis Howell Schools 

 


This newsletter is intended to promote exchange of information concerning management of risk in the public school arena.  Risk management is a vital means of sustaining security, stability, confidence and fiscal soundness.    

Lincoln Public Schools: "Transcending the Flames, Stronger Than Ever"

 "We WILL come back stronger than we were."  

- Superintendent Stephen Joel   

 A sudden fire on Memorial Day evening resulted in the total devastation of the Lincoln Public Schools' central office complex, an 18,000 square foot building valued around $20 million. Photos show a scene of total loss, a phrase heard frequently in reports and interviews following the blaze. In an article by the Lincoln Journal Star, LPS Associate Superintendent Mark Shepard reflected, "If it's not a total loss, it'll be surprising."

 

From day one, administrators began mobilizing to restore services for students and staff, to find temporary office space for the 250 employees who work in central administration. "Thirty-five years of their professional lives are gone," stated Mary Kay Roth, Director of Communications at LPS, in a recent phone conversation. "We lost so much: documents and files important to our work lives, in some cases 30 and 40 years of people's professional lives.  We lost personal items near and dear to us.  But we also learned many important lessons about what is really important in life,  and how the people of Lincoln Public Schools are connected and united in the mission of our work."

 

Though communications were disrupted for LPS, much valuable information was saved: "We do have back-up servers, which is a real blessing to us now. ...We're not going to lose critical back-up data," asserted Dr. Steve Joel, Superintendent of Lincoln Public Schools. Public communication efforts were launched via backup websites, Twitter and Facebook messages, media events, informative videos  and internal support.  Recently, LPS has uploaded a new video called "Transcending the Flames," a program about the loss and lessons from the fire. These efforts and precautions helped to ensure that the incident was not a total loss in many senses.   

 

Central office fires are rare and no source of lost data or recovery stories about such events has been found by the LPS team. Research so far has turned up one other example  of a similar fire loss that occurred in the early 1990s in a Tampa area district.  

 

[Editor's note: The central office for Joplin Public Schools, MO, suffered extensive damage from the tornado that struck their community  in May.] 

 

Resilience has been the operating force behind LPS, now almost 60 days  into the recovery. Dr. Joel is confident about the future: "We WILL come back stronger than we were."  

 

To view  Dr. Joel's blog, click here

To visit the LPS site, click here

For useful information on fire safety in schools, go to NCEF  

 

Lincoln Public Schools is the second largest public school district in Nebraska, located in the heart of the plains, renowned for its long-standing educational excellence and tradition of rigorous academic achievement. The school district is growing and thriving, serving more than 35,000 students in 61 schools.

 

We salute Lincoln's superintendent, Dr. Stephen Joel, and everyone connected to the Lincoln Public Schools. Dr. Joel is a native of Long Island, New York, with extensive experience as a superintendent in Kansas and Nebraska. Prior to coming to Lincoln, he served for ten years as superintendent in Grand Island and eight years in Beatrice.

Bullying Prevention Update 

Federal Investigations Challenge Local District Safety Efforts 

In California, the first-ever federal investigation of a local district, aimed at bullying prevention, has now been completed.  On June 30, the Tehachapi School District in California announced a resolution with the United States Department of Education Office of Civil Rights following a nine-month investigation. 

 

Tehachapi apparently came under scrutiny as a result of a 13-year-old student committing suicide last fall as a result of bullying.  The student was one of 11 teenagers identified as LGBT who died from suicide in California last fall.  

 

The 18 page resolution binds the school district to certain training and policy changes. The Equity Alliance at Arizona State University was named as the consultant to assist the district in fulfilling its obligations. 

   

In Minnesota, another federal investigation is underway in Anoka-Hennepin Schools, the largest district in the state. According to reports, the US DOE and US Dept of Justice are focused on harassment allegations.    Parents of a student who committed suicide claim in a lawsuit that the Anoka-Hennepin's "Sexual Orientation Curriculum Policy" prevents faculty from acknowledging the existence of LGBT people. Four gay and lesbian students in the Anoka-Hennepin district  have committed suicide since fall 2009.

 

The District issued a press release in which district superintendent stated, "We believe the interests of our students would be better served if we could put our energies and resources into working together to develop materials that directly support students.  Rather than focusing on litigation we would prefer to invest in materials that would provide a positive outcome for students for years to come.  Specifically, a new training program and a best-practices video on LGBT issues would equip staff to support LGBT students. He added, "These materials also could be shared with districts across the country."

 

 

New Online Training  for Prevention of Bullying  

Steven Dranoff, Ph.D, has introduced a new bullying prevention service that schools can access online.  Students can learn empathy skills through true-to-life video with a cast of student actors.  Dranoff's work in psychology spans 35 years.  He has travelled across the entire country working to reduce risk in local schools for more than 15 years. Learn more and view a sample of the training video at  

http://riskybusinessonline.com/index.php 

   

Dranoff makes this appeal to students, "The cast who make up the Risky Business team of detectives, will guide you through the slippery slope of protecting yourself from risk and danger."    

 

Additional information about bullying prevention programs, resources and events and the Institute's Who's Who in Bullying Prevention can be found at a new webportal for the SchoolRisk Bullying Prevention Coalition. To learn how to use this webportal, please contact the Executive Director. 

 

Bus Safety Begins from Child's Perspective 



Children's Summer Reading - A Means of Reducing Risk   

"Jump on board! Be first at your stop,

Don't be shy - It's the Bus-a-saurus Bop!"


Some childrens' book writers and publishers are helping communicate the idea that taking the school bus is both fun and safe. Bus-a-Saurus Bop is the title of a book about what a child  can discover while riding on a school bus. Plenty of playful verses like the one above can be found in the book, written by Diane Z. Shore and creatively illustrated by David Clark. Ms. Shore has also written Look Both Ways, a book that helps kids learn an important lesson in a fun way. Other authors have also used their talents to write about bus safety. Shen Roddie is the author of Please Don't Chat to the Bus Driver.   

 

Young students quickly form impressions about taking the bus and what's expected of them. Transportation directors hope to influence good behavior through classroom and parent education initiatives. It may  help to encourage more parents and their young children to check out an adventure story that offers a positive message about safe behavior on the school bus.   

 

Editor's Note: We commend the efforts of all the writers and publishers who make ordinary school activities into magical adventures for learning.  Diane Z. Shore is married to John Shore, Underwriting Manager, Georgia School Boards Association Risk Management Services.   

Hot Summer Notes 

FERMA Annual Conference  
The annual conference of the Florida Educational Risk Management Association was held July 18-21 at Lido Beach Resort, Sarasota, with about 40 districts and an equal number of service provider firms.  Scott Clark, Risk Manager for Miami-Dade Schools and current President of RIMS International, delivered the keynote address.   Sandy Higginbotham, Risk Manager, Volusia County Schools was the presiding officer.  Other highlights of the conference are available in a recording that was created as part of the School Risk Summer Discovery Festival.  Contact the Executive Director for access to the recording and materials from FERMA. 


Institute Activity Highlights 

The Public School Risk Institute began its fourth year of operation on the 1st of July.   A detailed report on services, opportunities for collaboration and direct benefits has been prepared.

 

An assistant editor has been engaged to help with the communication program, including our website, numerous web portals, interest groups and publications.  John Stovall is based in the Athens office. 

 

A new project manager has been engaged for the second phase of the Continuous Improvement Model/Balanced Scorecard for School Risk Management project.   Steve Webber is mobilizing volunteer task forces and enlisting assistance from subject matter experts for the Risk Improvement section of the model.  There are four categories and currently 25 elements in this section.    

    

Corporate partners were invited to nominate a person to serve on the board of directors of the Institute.   Three candidates emerged.   An appointment by the board is expected in September.

 

Research and development work was continued to support coalitions for bus safety, bullying prevention and interchange among ASBO risk management research committees.

 

 School Risk Online Learning Event Review
Coast-to-Coast Participation for First Ever Series

A virtual conference was conducted over a three week period July 12 - August 4. There were 14 sessions during the "SchoolRisk Summer Discovery Festival" with presentations from a variety of school leaders and industry experts from many parts of the country.  This  intensive series of online learning events was designed to help advance risk management in public education.  Recordings and materials will be available for downloading.


A special word of appreciation goes to four risk managers who volunteered to serve as moderators and provided valuable guidance in pre-planning:  Marlon Robbins, Elk Grove USD, Linda King, Palm Beach County PS, Ron Allen, Durham PS, Mary Jane Fick, Fairfax County PS.


Participant Honor Roll

Several individuals attended multiple sessions.  These four individuals were the top participants: Alan Weldon, Wichita Public Schools (7), Rob Gordon, Savannah-Chatham Public Schools (6), Mary Jane Fick,Fairfax County Public Schools (4), Tim Vincent,Vermont School Boards Insurance Trust (4). 

 

Presenter Honor Roll

The Institute and its members are grateful  for the support of these organizations and the individuals shown here who gave their time to serve as presenters.

Cobb County Schools(GA) - Dr. Patti Agatston
Company Nurse - Dorothy Antic and  Dennis Chandler
Council of Administrators of Special Education - Dr. Luann Purcell
D& D Consultants -  Dr. Steve Dranoff 
Frisco ISD (TX) - Tim Sanz
Hill International - Sonny Jester and Stan Scott
Milwaukee Public Schools- Kris Decato
New York Schools Insurance Reciprocal - Joann Robertson
Palm Beach County Schools (FL) - Linda King
PublicSCHOOLWORKS - Tom Strasburger
Round Rock ISD (TX) - Michelle Faust
School Bus Safety Company - Jeff Cassell
Science & Safety Consulting - Dr. Linda Stroud
Sedgwick CMS - Kimberly George and Rick Ackerman
Virginia Tech Univ. - Dr. Scott Geller
 

Sponsor Recognition  

Bickmore Risk Services and Company Nurse provided the initial support that was essential to launch this effort.  All of the corporate partners of the Institute (see side bar) were also important to making the event a success. 

 

Online Journal Continues at Risk Central   

Spotlight on Featured Contributors 

The Institute extends special thanks to everyone who has submitted articles for Risk Central.  Here are short bios on a few recent contributors.   

 

Wendy Wylie founded WyliE� Solutions, Inc., which is focused on preventing sexual misconduct schools.   WyliE� partners with schools, educators, and parents nationwide to reduce and prevent misconduct, demonstrate legal/ethical compliance, and insure protective efforts should incidents occur. Recently, Wendy authored  "The Power of Social Media and Social Networking in Education."


James Moore 
is a consultant with more than 20 years of experience in insurance claims and underwriting, specializing in workers' compensation. He has adjusted, supervised, and managed the administration of workers' compensation claims in 20 different states. His experience includes being the Director of Risk Management for the North Carolina School Boards Association. He has contributed, "Six Quick Methods to Lower Your Worker's Comp Costs."    

  

Linda Sharp is an education and learning professional with more than 30 years experience. She is project director for the Consortium for School Networking's Cyber Security and IT Crisis Preparedness Initiatives. In this capacity, she has presented workshops and conferences around the country. Her most recent article for Risk Central is titled "Education is Key to Keeping Organizations Protected from Cyber Threats."

 

Katie Weaver-Johnson is  Marketing and Client Support Services Director for Awareity. She researches lessons learned, data breaches, case studies and news stories to help  client organizations  prevent violent incidents from occurring at their organizations. With a focus on school safety, education, security awareness and workplace violence prevention, Katie hopes to share the right information with the right people at the right time. She wrote,  "Incident Management and Documentation Lacking in Prevention."   

 

The Risk Central web portal can be found at www.schoolrisk.org  

There is no charge to register and use this source for news, articles and events announcements.

Promote Innovative Solutions
 

Editor's Note:  We welcome submissions and ideas to highlight people and organizations who are helping develop and promote innovation for school risk management.  

Public School Risk Institute

   
Please call or send us a note with your comments and suggestions about this newsletter and any projects you would like to see us undertake. We also want to receive school contact names, contacts with organizations you believe may want to be involved, and material for the new website resources. We hope you find the Institute's newly updated website useful.  Please visit regularly and let us know how we can support your efforts to advance risk management.  Your input and feedback is greatly desired and appreciated.

 
Sincerely,

 

Lee Gaby, Executive Director 
Public School Risk Institute  
[email protected]
Phone  (706) 715-3381 Ext. 701