Board Report August 2024

Pontiac Twp. High School District 90 Risk Management Plan FY2025

INTRODUCTION

Pontiac Township High School District 90 (District) is concerned with the health, safety and welfare of students, staff, parents, and all persons who use its public facilities and programs. The taxpayers of the District are ultimately responsible for its costs and liabilities. The District has a legal responsibility to protect District and taxpayer assets and to minimize the risk of loss to persons and property associated with its operations, including to:  Ensure that constitutional, statutory, regulatory and common law health, safety and civil rights are extended to all visitors, employees and students.  Make certain that its buildings, grounds, and personal property are supervised, maintained and protected in a safe condition.  Provide careful supervision and protection of all persons while on District property and of all District real and personal property.  Control and manage costs related to accidents and injuries, including insuring against such losses. The definition of tort is broad and includes any “private or civil wrong or injury” as well as “ a violation of a duty imposed by general law .” Over time, the District has experienced a variety of formal complaints from students, staff, and visitors alleging a tort through, among others, the District’s own Uniform Grievance Policy, the US Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR), the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the state Departments of Labor and Human Rights, as well as state and federal courts. Some have involved accidents, altercations, bullying, or various types of discrimination. Most involve potential violations of District policies and procedures. The District has an obligation to not only maintain insurance and staff to respond immediately to such incidents and manage and mitigate any impact and aftermath, but to also pro-actively manage its activities to avoid such incidents in the first place and their potential for torts of all kinds. The District Board of Education (Board) has established a Risk Management Program (Program) to reduce exposure of the District to the risk of liability or loss which may be imposed upon it or its employees acting within the scope of their employment on behalf of the District. The Program is a systematic effort to identify and minimize the conditions which lead to personal injuries, property damage, and civil and criminal claims of all sorts associated with operations of District facilities and programs. It is designed to both minimize the risk of such occurrences and to respond to them if they occur. The Program is cyclical in nature so that it continually reviews and improves itself. The Program is summarized in this Risk Management Plan (Plan) which:  Identifies specific risks.

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