Discussion – 200 words minimum
Emergency Management Scenario
Directions
School administrators have a responsibility to keep everyone safe. Read the scenario and in the Discussion Board, answer the questions at the end.
During the passing time between classes at Eisenhower High School, there was a fight between two special education students. Student “X” pulled a knife on Student “Y” and cut the students arm to the point severe bleeding took place. Student “X” continued the attack, but thankfully other students were able to disarm Student “X.” The principal of Eisenhower High, Mr. Smart, takes pride in being proactive in his school and his faculty and staff know the law well, so he was very concerned at the findings of his investigation of this incident.
There were several issues that concerned Mr. Smart about this incident. First, one of the school’s teachers, Mrs. Wright, had been informed by another student that Student “X,” an emotionally impaired special education student, might have a weapon in their possession. Because the student who reported the possible weapon was not thought to be credible, Mrs. Wright did not take the report seriously. She decided not to report this because it was at the start of the class, and she did not want to leave her class without supervision. By the time class ended, Mrs. Wright had forgotten about the possible weapon.
To make matters worse, this incident occurred between classes at the end of the hallway where there are only two classrooms, and there was no adult supervision present. Hallway supervision is one area that was a constant struggle between the principal and the faculty and staff. Mr. Smart had urged the faculty and staff to monitor student activity in the hallway. However, when the incident occurred, one teacher had gone to the restroom and the other was at his desk preparing for the next class. Because of the normal noise in the hallway, no adult responded to the incident until well after it had ended. In fact, no staff members knew about the incident until the student came into class with a severe bleeding arm.
When Mr. Smart was alerted to the incident, he immediately took action to isolate Student “X” in a secure, supervised area and to get medical attention for Student “Y.” After making sure Student “Y” received medical treatment, Mr. Smart thoughts turned to his concern for what liability there might be for the district, teachers, and himself.
In your Discussion Board post please responses to the following:
- What potential liability does the school district face due to this incident?
- What potential liability does Mr. Smart and his faculty face due to the incident?
- Based on Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) requirement for a school to have an Emergency Management plan, what responsibility does the school have for the safety of their students?
- Would it have been legally permissible for school personnel to search Student “X” based on the report of a fellow student? Why or why not?
- What should have been done differently in this scenario by the principal and the faculty to prevent this incident from occurring or to limit school district liability?
