Children may become injured at school after a fall, sports injury or related incident. Sometimes, the family can successfully seek legal compensation for medical bills and other associated costs after a serious injury.
Parents should take these steps after an accident at recess, during practice or in the school halls.
Get the facts
The school should provide a full report of the incident, including details about what happened, when, where and witnesses. This information provides insight into how the accident happened and whether negligence played a role in the child’s injury.
Start the process
If the injured child attends public school in California, parents have six months to provide notice of claim to the school district. This legal document must fully describe the accident and explain how the school’s negligence contributed to the child’s injury and resulting expenses. The notice of claim must also include a monetary compensation request with a specific amount.
Parents whose children attend private school do not have to give notice. They can sue the school directly in cases of personal injury involving negligence.
Receive a decision
After a public school district receives a notice of claim, they can either reject it or pay the requested amount. Parents can sue the district after a rejected claim or accept the offered compensation.
Parents do not expect their child to suffer an injury at school. Unfortunately, these incidents do happen, including slip-and-fall incidents, playground accidents, food poisoning and school bus accidents. Update emergency information so the school knows where to take your child for medical attention if necessary.
