From Challenges to Solutions: Transforming School Risk Management

The majority of workers’ compensation claims in the school setting do not come from slips, trips, and falls. Rather, it is the day-to-day interactions with students that generate the majority of claims. Unintentional student outbursts, particularly among students with special needs, constitute the majority of claims. Intervening in fights is secondary. Workers’ compensation trend data tell the true story of staff training and physical resource needs in a school district.

In today’s stressful environment, students come to school dysregulated, leading to emotional overload and often resulting in injurious behavior. Until now, schools have done little to address students' complex social and emotional needs. Needs go beyond counseling, which is often limited by financial constraints.   Across the United States, there has been a dramatic increase in students entering schools with complex disabilities.

In New York State, schools with orderly and productive climates have implemented sensory rooms and regulation stations. In pilot programs, the successful use of sensory rooms has taken a student with 20 behavioral instances per day and eliminated the behavior within four months.   Providing staff with the safety tools needed to successfully interact with a diverse population of students dramatically decreases risk and improves the overall morale of staff and students.

A $25,000 investment in a sensory room can generate upwards of $200,000 annually in reduced medical claims. It is important that sensory rooms are designed correctly; the ages of students, disability types, and targeted behaviors must be considered.  Purchasing durable, indestructible products is imperative.

Charting behavior (i.e.. time of day, type of behavior) is key to building in sensory activities.   This is proactive and supports regulation before a behavior occurs. For example, after charting the behavior of a student, the majority of outbursts occur between 10:30 and 11 a.m. This student should be scheduled for daily time in the sensory room between 10:20 and 10:30. Doing so dramatically decreases the chance a behavior will occur. Sensory rooms should be fully utilized throughout the day.

Paraprofessionals should be trained that charting behavior is part of their daily job responsibilities. Note the time of day the behavior occurred, who the child was with, the activity, and whether the child was hungry, among other factors. With older students, weighted furniture and rockers are fantastic safety measures. Weighted furniture eliminates injuries from flipping and throwing desks, tables, and chairs. Weighted rockers provide comforting support for students.

Schools need to transform and/or build safety materials and equipment designed to meet the diverse needs of the student population. This transformation will dramatically improve school culture, support staff retention, and reduce staff and student injuries.