Question 13
What insurance policy options are school districts using to cover students
doing work-based learning in non-paid experiences at for-profit sites? Specific
company names and contact information would be the most helpful. I have
lots of examples of anecdotal responses which say, "The district covers
it" or "we have an extended campus policy." What I need at
this point are real sources to investigate. Thanks, Julie
Strategy 1
We consider students who are out in career exploration sites to be on
an extended campus program. It is expected that a family's health insurance
policy will pay for any accidents/injuries just as they would if a student
were injured in the school building. Students who do not have family health
insurance are given the opportunity to purchase accident insurance. The
company we use is Voyageurs Insurance Company, 3510 Minnesota World Trade
Center, 30 E. 7th St., St. Paul, MN 55101. The contact person is Susan Boos
(612-707-4400).
Strategy 2
You may want to check with your state government or advocate in your state for this type of insurance. Some state's provide information on the insurance that they actually offer and others provide information on what districts and employers need to know regarding insurance. Check out these web sites:
Strategy 3
I would suggest obtaining a copy of the Work Based Learning Manual through
the MN Department of Children, Families and Learning. The telephone number
to call is 1-888-234-5120 and ask for Deb Parkos with MCIS to return your
call or mail you a copy for about $17. This material covers these issues
and would be a good resource on all aspects of Work Based Learning!
Strategy 4
Case law regarding worker's compensation coverage for internships in
Minnesota (according to Carrie Rebischke, Legal Analyst of The Department
of Employee Relations and Jim Froeber, Compensation Attorney as published
in the Risk Management Alert, Spring 1999 issue) reveals that the most important
factor in determining who is responsible for providing coverage while a
student is on an internship is to determine which party has control over
the work of the student. Payment of the intern and who is receiving the
benefit of the intern's work are also factors, but control is the most important
factor.
It is recommended that the school and the outside entity agree ahead
of time which party should be responsible for the student's workers' compensation
coverage. This agreement should be in writing and signed by both parties.
If the outside entity is providing coverage, it is recommended that the
school obtain a copy of that coverage for verification. Perhaps there are
parallels between this worker's compensation information and your question.
Strategy 5
You may want to contact Greg Voorheis, Vermont STW Grant Manager, at
the Department of Employment and Training. Greg was part of a national team
that put together a guide on risk management that can be obtained at the
STW National office. Also, he leads the VT Risk Management Task Force which
has done much research on this area and has a bill in the VT legislature
regarding this issue. Greg can be reached at 802-828-4343.
Strategy 6
In Vermont there is currently legislation in the State House relating
to the issue of providing adequate coverage for students in non paid work
based learning experiences. Visit the state of Vermont site www.state.vt.us
Look under legislation. The bill is H.134.
A good source of information for School to Work insurance is Green Mountain
Risk Management. Call Jack Russell at 802-229-1908. He provides coverage
to us and all STW regions in Vermont. We purchase the coverage and let our
schools buy in - this keeps the price down.
Strategy 7
You might want to check out the website for the Nonprofit
Risk Management Center (www.nonprofitrisk.org/). Some of the information
and resources there may be of interest to schools doing service learning
activities.
Strategy 8
Although it is doubtful that S-T-W legislation will be reauthorized,
Perkins III (The Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education
Act Amendments of 1998 (PL 105-332) and the Workforce Investment Act of
1998 (PL 105-220) authorize various types of training programs for in and
out-of-school youth. The issue of liability has been addressed for many
years by vocational education personnel and they have developed various
programs for handling this sticky issue.
The S-T-W legislation with it's "work-based learning" component
opened eyes nationally as more and more students were participating in various
off-campus programs (industry tours, shadowing, internships, etc.). As such,
most states have a committee or task force that is addressing/has addressed
liability/insurance issues. If you contact the people in state depts. of
education who deal with S-T-W you should get plenty of information. To reach
these folks you may want to go to the website for the National Association
of State Directors of Vocational and Technical Education (sorry I don't
know the address off hand), connect with directors via hotlinks, and request
them to forward your message to their S-T-W person. Hope this information
is useful!
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