Early Summer 2018

Cyber Liability – Risk Management Best Practices for Montana Public Schools

By Shawn Bubb, Director of Insurance Services

 This fiscal year has seen a new focus on the importance of understanding the critical aspects of cyber liability and risks presented to K-12 public schools in Montana.  Most schools have spent considerable effort analyzing the sensitive data that they have in their school systems and determining the best methods to protect that information from unauthorized disclosure.  At the December 2017 School Law and Technology Conference, MSGIA sponsored the keynote speakers on cyber liability defensive strategies.  Against this backdrop, I have outlined below relevant concepts and considerations that school districts can employ to help them better evaluate data-gathering strategies and to aid them in determining if that data is, in fact, safely stored in the system. Read more

Website Accessibility Best Practices

By Matt Komac, Property & Liability Claim Adjuster

Is your District’s website ADA compliant?  Recently some Montana schools have been targeted with complaints through the Office of Civil Rights alleging that their websites are not ADA compliant.  Because resolving these complaints is often time intensive and costly, we are providing this information in hopes that it will help your District avoid the hassle of dealing with such ADA-related complaints. Read more

Disposing of Chemicals from Montana Schools

By Annette Satterly, Risk Management Associate

I am often asked for information about proper chemical disposal. Dusti Johnson, of the Waste Management and Remediation Division of the Montana Department of Environmental Quality, provided the following helpful information on this topic (Ms. Johnson can be reached at dujohnson@mt.gov or at 406-444-6499). Read more

Summer Vandalism Prevention Tips

By Matt Komac Property & Liability Claim Adjuster and Linda Coombs, Property & Liability Claim Adjuster

The summer months can present challenges when it comes to protecting school campuses from burglary, vandalism, and arson.  Empty campuses can represent temptations for mischievous kids and even adults, while warm summer temperatures and the late-night sunlight can mean that people are active later in the evening and thus looking for something to do.  Under such circumstances as these, secured facilities invite unlawful entry, theft, and vandalism. Read more

Ergonomic Overview 

By Harry Cheff, Risk Management Associate

Every spring and summer, schools across Montana begin a routine that has become a sort of time-honored tradition.  The ritual plays out pretty much along these familiar lines: teachers pack up their classrooms, food-service personal complete a final cleaning of the cafeteria areas, administration finalizes the list of summer projects to be completed, and custodial and maintenance personal gear up for tackling the summer tasks. Read more