Facilitate, Don’t Participate
- Brenda Koch, MSGIA School Risk Manager
While this phrase often causes eye rolls, after reading this article, you may find yourself thinking, “I had no idea!”
Reviewing MSGIA member school statistics on school staff (teachers, paraprofessionals, and coaches) who participate in physical activities with students and get injured gives me pause. As a former athlete, teacher, coach, referee, and, as one now working to stay in good shape, I understand why staff want to participate. However, as the saying goes, “Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.”
Here are a couple of staggering, avoidable data points (if “facilitate, don’t participate” were a priority):
- This late summer/fall (July 1 to November 18, 2024), MSGIA had 15 claims from Montana districts, reserved at nearly $150,000. These claims involved employees participating in physical education, recess games, and, mostly, coaches using full-body motions to demonstrate or participate in practice.
- Over the previous 10 years, we saw over 540 claims, totaling more than $3.4 million.
We need to approach things differently without compromising our goals and results. As employers, we are responsible for clearly sharing our expectations of class and practice activities while maintaining the program’s competitiveness. It’s essential not only to state our expectations but also to explain the rationale. Consider these talking points:
- Prioritize staff and student safety to avoid injury.
- Injuries impact:
- Ability to be present at work and perform at one's best, ensuring high student participation and learning.
- Ability to coach and travel.
- Colleagues filling in.
- Class and program performance.
- Personal time and the pain of recovery.
- Soaring medical costs:
- Fixing body parts is expensive (e.g., knee repair: at least $50,000).
- Work comp claims affect the district's loss ratio, which raises premiums, draining general fund resources for other needs.
The bottom line is that injuries affect physical, mental, and financial performance.
So, after explaining the “why,” it’s imperative to focus on the “how.” In brief, encourage staff to suggest ways to break the habit of “how it’s always been done” and find safer, more effective methods.
Here are a few ideas to start the discussion:
- How can drills/skills be taught in a non-aggressive, non-physical way?
- Use moderate force.
- Go half-speed, or "turtle speed."
- Have students demonstrate.
Be sure to stretch and warm up before demonstrations. And if someone has pre-existing injuries, be sure they avoid motions that may aggravate or cause harm.
As Ted Lasso says, “Doing the right thing is never the wrong thing.” Return to newsletter