This year’s school council insurance coverage has been paid for by the District and will be provided through the Ontario School Boards’ Insurance Exchange (OSBIE).
The mandate of the school council is to provide advice to the principal. When acting outside of this mandate, school councils require liability insurance to cover activities that are independent of the school (non-sanctioned) and that are not directed by a school principal or staff designate. Activities such as independent fundraising events, or a social event for school council members, would not fall under the District’s liability insurance coverage.
The school council liability coverage provides protection for the school council executive members and all volunteers acting on behalf of the school council that may face lawsuits arising out of their activities for the school council. The coverage is for various types of liabilities arising out of injuries to third parties or damage to leased or borrowed premises.
Insurance Coverage Highlights:
- Annual policy, effective November 1stof each year;
- $2 million liability coverage;
- Coverage includes: negligent acts causing bodily injury and property damage, personal injury and advertising liability, tenants legal liability, non-owned automobile liability, errors and omissions, directors and officers wrongful acts;
The school principal has an essential role within the school council framework, to attend council meetings and consider its recommendations. The principal has an obligation to advise the council of the action being taken in response to the recommendations and has the responsibility to approve or deny any event or activity proposed on District property.
Every school sponsored event or activity requires the approval of the school principal. Approved events/activities must be attended by the principal or their designate for the duration of the event to ensure that the policies and procedures of the District are being followed.
When an event is approved and controlled by the principal, the school council members are acting as volunteers on behalf of the school and will be covered under the District’s liability policy. The principal or designate authorizing the activity must assume responsibility for the event and the activity must be in accordance with Board policies and procedures.
When non-sanctioned activities (those events that are not under the control of the principal or designate) are planned, organized and controlled by school council, the school council should be advised that:
- The event cannot use the school name and should be clearly stated, in any correspondence to parents, that it is not a school sanctioned event;
- The event will not be covered by the District liability insurance;
- Council should confirm that their school council insurance policy covers the event that they are contemplating, if not, they are advised that they should get additional insurance to cover the event;
- If using the school or school property, they will need to book the space through the Community Use of Schools (CUS) department;
- The use of a consent form for persons participating should be considered; and
- A vetting process for all volunteers should be considered .
Frequently Asked Questions:
The primary mandate of a school council is to enhance the quality of education and the overall school experience for students by fostering parental involvement, facilitating communication, providing advisory input, supporting educational initiatives, advocating for student and parent interests, and promoting collaboration within the school community.
Liability insurance is needed when school councils engage in activities that are independent of the school's mandate (non-sanctioned) and not directed by the school principal or staff designate.
The school council insurance coverage is paid for by the District and provided through the Ontario School Boards’ Insurance Exchange (OSBIE).
It provides protection for school council executive members and volunteers against various liabilities, including injuries to third parties and damage to leased or borrowed premises. The policy offers $2 million liability coverage, including protection against negligent acts, personal injury, property damage, and more.
Sanctioned events are approved and supervised by school authorities, while non-sanctioned events are independent of the school, organized by the school council.
Sanctioned events are those events that are approved by the principal, the vice-principal and/or staff designate(s) who will be directing and supervising the event. School council members may assist in organizing the event but are acting as volunteers on behalf of the school. In such cases, these events must be attended by the principal or designated staff for the duration of the event. School council members, acting as volunteers, would be covered under the District’s liability insurance policy
Non-sanctioned events are those events that are approved by the principal but are independent of the school, will not be under the control of the principal, and where staff will not be directing or attending in a supervisory capacity. These events are typically planned, organized and controlled by the school council. These events are usually fundraisers held at the school and attended by both parents and students, such as, movie nights, book fairs, and bake sales. School council members would need to ensure that District policies and procedures are followed by consulting with the principal.
Third-party events are approved by the principal and should be planned, organized and supervised by the principal or staff designate(s) as they are medium to high-risk activities. School councils acting as volunteers to the school may assist in the planning of these events.
Third-party events include contracts with independent businesses. Examples are fun fairs or family barbecues on school grounds where a food truck or local grocery store prepares and provides food at the school, or any event requiring the rental and operation of inflatables. All third-party providers must provide proof of Commercial General Liability insurance and, if possible, ask that the school be added to the third-party’s insurance policy for the specific event. The third party becomes responsible for controlling and operating the activity and its insurance policy would cover the activity. The principal or staff designate(s) would be responsible for the overall control and supervision of the event.
All sporting events (except in exceptional circumstances as noted in Volunteer procedure PR.555.SCO, article 4.12), all field trips, and all contemplated medium to high-risk events or activities.
The school principal must approve and attend all school-sponsored events to ensure compliance with District policies and procedures.
School council members, acting as volunteers on behalf of the school, are covered under the District's liability policy when events are approved and controlled by the principal.
The following is a list of prohibited activities:
Dunk tanks, diving into or sliding onto foam, mud, ice or snow; animal rides; sky diving; zip lining; bungee jumping, high ropes, extreme trampoline, bubble soccer (knacker ball); white-water rafting; outdoor rock climbing, paint ball, fireworks or pyrotechnics.
Yes, but it must be clearly stated that these events are school councils events, not school events, and that they will not be supervised by OCDSB school staff.