The issue of school security is a hot topic across the nation, and whether their children are attending elementary, middle or high school, or a college or university campus, concerned parents want to know what school administration can do to better protect their students. A variety of conflicting and competing ideas are on the table, and some of them undoubtedly would create more problems than they could solve.

Cries for more stringent gun control laws, discussions about arming teachers with guns for protection in the classroom, plans to post armed security guards on school grounds€"the debate continues to swirl about just how to best approach the task of staying safe, with all acknowledging that students and staff dying at the hands of a deranged gunman cannot be tolerated. On the other hand, children and teens themselves sometimes pose a risk, with more and more incidents occurring of guns, knives, and other weapons being brought to school€"and either found in a sweep of lockers and confiscated, or actually used by students to wound and kill their classmates and teachers, as we have seen in several horrific stories. All of this activity and the associated issues of risk, liability, injury, and sadly, death, make the prospect of obtaining the appropriate higher education insurance a much more complicated task for both administrators and insurers to sort out.

While safety and security are in the spotlight, schools continue to face significant exposure to risk in many other areas as well; property and liability incidents can result in very expensive claims that would have to be paid by the school's shrinking money pool unless the proper coverage is in place. For example, one small college's computer center was completely gutted when a fire broke out; between the fire, smoke, and water from the fire department, dozens of laptops, desktops, printers, and other equipment were destroyed, totaling more than a half million dollars in damage; fortunately, the school is insured for the loss. In another case, a local university found itself facing a lawsuit when two minority students alleged discrimination when the school expelled them for cheating and plagiarism. Even though the school won the lawsuit, defense costs and legal fees amounted to tens of thousands of dollars.

In light of all the challenges that learning institutions face today, school administrators should work with a professional agent who is experienced in the higher education insurance market. The agent will be skilled at reviewing the specifications of the institution, analyzing risks and exposures, and matching up the needs with the best provider among a selection of first-rate insurers in the nation. To learn more, contact an agent today.