F E B R U A R Y      2  0  1  2 In this Issue: Employment Practices Liability Issues Celebrate Diversity KSS/KSC MSDS Enhancements National School Counseling Week Benefits of Health Training for All Staff School Safety News "Safety and security don't just happen, they are the result of collective consensus and public investment. We owe our children, the most vulnerable citizens in our society, a life free of violence and fear." Nelson Mandela  Former President of South Africa and Human Rights Advocate February 26 - March 3 is National Eating Disorders Awareness Week. Both males and females get eating disorders, often starting as young as 7 or 8 years old. Coaches and educators should watch for the warning signs of an eating disorder and refer the student to the appropriate school resource. Solutions to Your Employment Practices Liability Issues Employment Practices Liability (EPL) is one of the most significant cost drivers for California Schools and Community Colleges, accounting for $70 million in losses for these institutions over the past six years. This cost represents approximately $2 per ADA per year for K-12 schools and $4 per FTEs per year for Community Colleges. Keenan's Solutions: The Employment Practices Liability Resource Center The Employment Practices Liability Resource Center is designed to help districts manage the issues that lead to employment practices liability claims by providing a wide range of training solutions, best practices, sample policies and forms, attorney hosted webinars, articles, case studies, and legal resources. This new resource can be found on P&C Bridge. Two New KSS/KSC Employment Practices Liability Courses Discrimination: Avoiding Discriminatory Practices As a supervisor, it's essential that you help to establish and maintain a respectful and positive environment for learning. You set the example for students and the community at large, which makes consistent displays of civility - respect and politeness - toward others important. The goal of this course is to provide supervisors with an overview of some best practices that will help them manage a diverse workplace, avoid discriminatory behaviors, and create a culture that embraces acceptance and respect for all. The course is written by respected author, Catherine Mattice.  Termination: Practice and Procedure This course will provide supervisors and managers with a basic understanding of best practices regarding the termination of employees. The course explores termination laws and policies; identifies ways to avoid key mistakes during a termination; and reviews best practices for termination. The course is written by leading-expert Patrick Hughes, J.D. Keenan SafeSchools/Keenan SafeColleges is proud to offer resources to help your district with Employment Practices Liability. For more information on our Employment Practices Liability Resource Center, contact your Keenan and Associates Account Manager at www.keenan.com or info@keenan.com. Keenan & Associates License No. 0451271. Celebrate Diversity The United States has a rich history as the world's melting pot, and as its population continues to grow in diversity, so too, do our nation's schools. Diversity can be a wonderful opportunity to learn about different cultures and lifestyles, but it may also increase the chance for potential misunderstandings in your district, too. A casual remark by a staff member or student, while not made with malicious intent, can be offensive to others. Discrimination and prejudice can quickly escalate to physical conflict and it is important to educate your staff on the benefits of diversity and how it can enhance your school community. As you celebrate Black History Month, February is a perfect time to remind employees how to properly interact with a diverse student population, in a diverse workplace. Keenan SafeSchools and Keenan SafeColleges offer expert-authored courses to help educate your staff on issues related to diversity. Diversity Awareness: Staff-to-Staff and Diversity Awareness: Staff-to-Student directly address how diversity benefits and strengthens school districts and instructs staff members on how to spot and respond to harassment, bigotry, and prejudice. For more information about these courses, contact your Keenan & Associates Account Manager at www.keenan.com or info@keenan.com. Keenan & Associates License No. 0451271. Exciting Enhancements to Keenan SafeSchools/SafeColleges MSDS Systems Keenan offers a convenient way to organize and manage your material safety data sheets online. Keenan SafeSchools MSDS and Keenan SafeColleges MSDS store electronic versions of your MSDSs in one easy-to-use, searchable system available from any computer with an Internet connection. Not only is properly managing your chemical inventory list required by Cal/OSHA, but it also saves valuable time in an emergency. Over the last several months, we've made a number of exciting enhancements to the current KSS/KSC MSDS platforms to make them even more efficient. The product interface has a great new look and we've also enhanced the chemical inventory report, making it easier for you to see your entire chemical inventory by binder. We're also expanding our Help section to include video tutorials that will make you a KSS/KSC MSDS expert in no time. For more information, contact your Keenan & Associates Loss Control Consultant at www.keenan.com or info@keenan.com. Keenan & Associates License No. 0451271. National School Counseling Week, February 6-10 Each and every day, school counselors address the well-being of students across the nation. Whether it is for personal, social, academic, or career needs, a counselor plays an essential role in students' lives. Counselors enable students to succeed in and out of the classroom by helping them through challenges that they may not otherwise feel comfortable speaking about to teachers or parents. The counselor's office is a safe place for students to address emotional and mental concerns whether due to grades, a relationship issue, or a bullying incident. This year you can recognize the great work that your school counselors do by celebrating National School Counseling Week, February 6-10. Sponsored by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA), this special week acknowledges the hard work and dedication of school counselors. Keenan SafeSchools Training includes essential courses that can equip your school counseling staff to handle any situation that may come up in a student's life, including: Bullying: Recognition & Response Child Abuse: Identification & Intervention Dating Violence: Identification & Prevention Homeless Students: Awareness & Understanding Online Safety: Cyberbullying Online Safety: Predators Sexual Harassment: Student Issues Sexual Misconduct: Staff-to-Student Student Drug & Alcohol Abuse Youth Suicide: Awareness & Prevention For more information, contact your Keenan & Associates Account Manager at www.keenan.com or info@keenan.com. Keenan & Associates License No. 0451271. The Benefits of Health Training for All Staff During the 2010-11 school year, sadly there were a number of student health-related tragedies, ranging from severe allergic reactions to concussions that led to brain bleeds, and ultimately death. Although it is impossible to prevent every medical crisis, it is essential to ensure your staff is properly prepared to respond to a life-threatening emergency. Preparation is not quite as simple as having a nurse on staff or a first aid kit in every classroom. Every staff member in your school or district should be trained to recognize the signs of a life-threatening health emergency and the steps to properly address it quickly and efficiently. Every second counts in an emergency and can mean the difference between life and death. Keenan SafeSchools/Keenan SafeColleges Training includes valuable Health courses that will help minimize your district's liability and more importantly, potentially save a life: Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) Concussion Awareness: Athletics Epinephrine Auto-Injectors First Aid Health Emergencies: Asthma Awareness Health Emergencies: Diabetes Awareness Health Emergencies: Hemophilia Health Emergencies: Life-Threatening Allergies Health Emergencies: Overview Health Emergencies: Seizures Our online courses are available 24 hours a day, and can be completed when it's convenient for your employees, from school or from home. In addition to our award-winning courses, the system also allows administrators to upload and assign district policies, including Health-related procedures, to your entire staff quickly and easily. For more information, contact your Keenan & Associates Account Manager at www.keenan.com or info@keenan.com. Keenan & Associates License No. 0451271. School Safety News Cyberbaiting: Students Pushing Teachers to Meltdown to Post on Internet Bullying Examined in Staten Island Girl's Suicide 12 High School Students Suffering with Tourette's-like Illness Student Actors Help Peers See Devastating Effects of Bullying Mother Says Her Autistic Son Put in Bag as Discipline at School OR Schools Finding More Kids with Food Allergies School Districts Cautioned about Potential Scams Fraud and Employee Misconduct in District Includes Over $1M in Improper Benefits Former Emerson Student Gets $130K for Alleged Harassment Concerned Father to Teach Gun Safety to Children South Hadley Paid Phoebe Prince Family $225,000 to Avoid Lawsuit Over Bullying Former School Treasurer Accused of Taking $40K Pertussis Confirmed at Elementary School Advocates, Experts Call for More Attention to Bullying of Special Needs Students University of Wisconsin Investigating Senior Associate Athletic Director for Misconduct Training modules are assigned based on the line of business you have with Keenan. You may not currently have access to all. Please contact your Keenan & Associates Account Manager for more information. Keenan & Associates License No. 0451271 The information contained in this newsletter does not certify that all of the information provided meets or exceeds any federal, state or local regulations or laws, nor does it conclude that the information provided guarantees the positive safety behavior, or the prevention of a work related injury from a cause not covered in the document, or those who follow its advice or recommendations. © 2012 SafeSchools LLC. SafeSchools is a registered trademark of SafeSchools LLC. All rights reserved.