Steve Permuth

The Principal and the Issue of Negligence

Principals must understand the concept of negligence, in anticipating and responding both to situations that could lead to injuries to stu dents, and to lawsuits against them as agents of the school and the school system. A study of negligence requires understanding the term and its implications, how to prevent negligence from occurring, and how to defend ones action if prevention fails.

The Principal and Reference Letters

Requests to write letters of reference for former teachers place principals and other school administrators in a position of potential liability. Following established policies, along with documentation of fair and objective treatment of all such requests, lessens exposure to successful legal actions for school administrators.