Insurance built for schools, not just buildings

Your campus buildings, portable classrooms, and the contents inside them (desks, chairs, lab equipment, books, kitchen appliances) all require separate coverage. Building coverage protects the permanent structure against fire, burst pipes, wind, hail, and most weather perils. Business personal property coverage steps in when classroom contents are damaged or destroyed by a covered loss. For a school on the Treasure Valley's clay-heavy soil, where freeze-thaw cycles stress foundations and rooflines, both layers matter.

If a fire or a burst pipe forces you to close the campus, income stops but obligations don't. Business income coverage replaces the revenue or operating funds you lose while the building is being repaired. Extra expense coverage pays for the added cost of running classes at a temporary site so instruction can continue. This is especially relevant for private and charter schools where tuition revenue is the operating lifeline.

General liability covers bodily injury and property damage claims that arise from school operations, including a visitor who slips in the hallway or a teacher who accidentally damages a student's device. But general liability alone almost never covers allegations of abuse or molestation. Abuse and molestation coverage is a separate endorsement or policy, and it is one that any school supervising minors needs to carry. Schools should also maintain written protocols for reporting and prevention alongside this coverage.

Board members, directors, and administrators can be held personally liable for decisions involving discrimination, wrongful termination, negligent supervision, or misuse of school funds. Educator's legal liability (ELL) insurance defends those individuals under the school's policy rather than leaving them to fund their own defense. Employment practices liability covers the school itself against claims from current or former employees alleging harassment, discrimination, or wrongful termination. Most volunteer board members should require ELL coverage before agreeing to serve.

Schools collect sensitive data on students and families and often manage fundraiser cash with limited controls. Cyber liability covers unauthorized access to your network, data breaches, extortion, and unintentional employee errors that expose information. Crime and employee dishonesty coverage protects against theft of cash raised through fundraisers or misappropriation by staff. Crisis response coverage reimburses costs like public relations counsel and counseling services after a violent incident on campus, events that general liability policies typically exclude.