If you’ve never needed it before, teacher insurance can feel like just another expense to add to your list.
But just like those classroom supplies you buy to create an immersive, engaging learning experience, the return on your investment in teacher liability insurance can be high.
To help illustrate this, let’s look at a few real-life examples of how teacher insurance could shield educators like you from the financial burden of an honest mistake.
3 Real Educators' Legal Liability Claim Examples
The following examples are all liability claims that happened to real educators across the U.S., and each one proves why teachers need insurance.
It’s important to note that we don’t have all of the details as to whether these teachers had coverage or what expenses they faced throughout these ordeals. However, let’s examine how the impact of each one could be reduced if each teacher had their own insurance policy.
Pennsylvania Teacher Falsely Accused of Sexual Misconduct
What Happened: Michael Gallagher taught Pennsylvania elementary school children for 25 years before receiving a phone call one December morning that changed his life forever.
Detectives called him into the local police station for questioning, where he was informed that a student he taught 12 years ago had accused Gallagher of sexual molestation and assault. He couldn’t remember the student, and was shocked that anyone could accuse him of something so horrific that never actually happened.
In just a month, Gallagher was arrested and placed in a jail cell before being released on bail and prohibited from having any contact with children. The school district immediately suspended him without pay, and the state moved to revoke his teaching certification.
With a damaged reputation and no income, Gallagher relied on the generosity and trust of loved ones and his teacher’s association for financial help and support. When an assistant district attorney listened to his supporters and questioned the accuser, it was revealed that she lied about the assault. Gallagher was eventually cleared of all charges.
Teacher Sued by Union for Defamation in Chicago
What Happened: Joey McDermott, a teacher at Prosser High School, was elected to serve a three-year term on the Chicago Teachers’ Union (CTU) — an organization he was vocally critical of.
However, McDermott claimed that CTU blocked him from attending delegate meetings, so he filed an Unfair Labor Practice charge against them. CTU responded by suing him for defamation and harassment a month later, claiming he had defamed them online and harassed several female union employees.
McDermott faced thousands of dollars in legal expenses that he could not pay out of pocket. To help cover the costs, he created a GoFundMe to raise $18,000 and urged community members to donate what they could to help him fight the lawsuit.
Eventually, CTU dropped the lawsuit and settled with McDermott, allowing him to attend House of Delegates meetings.
Massachusetts Parents Sue School Over a Bad Grade
What Happened: A teacher at Hingham High School gave one of their students a D on a research project because Turnitin, an artificial intelligence (AI) detection tool, flagged it for AI use.
In response, the student’s parents sued the teacher, the district, and a local school committee and asked that they raise the student’s grade, given that Hingham High had no official AI policy. They claimed that the low grade brought down their child’s GPA, which could harm his chances of getting into the college of his choice.
The teacher and the school classified the behavior as cheating, arguing that the teacher’s classroom policies clearly prohibited AI use. They also claimed that the school’s policy against plagiarism applied here as well.
Other Scenarios Where Teacher Liability Insurance Comes in Handy
The above examples aren’t an exhaustive list of what teacher insurance can shield you from. Here are a few other risks you face that your liability insurance policy can cover.
If a student injures themselves under your care, general liability insurance can cover their medical bills up to $5,000 in no-fault coverage. If their parents sue you for negligence and seek more money to cover medical attention, general liability can also cover those costs.
You assign an at-home science experiment project with materials you provide. While working on the project, one student injures themselves after following your directions. Their parents sue you to cover the damages, but products-completed operations insurance covers those costs, so you don’t have to.
If you accidentally spill coffee all over your brand-new, school-provided laptop and destroy it, general liability insurance can cover the cost of repairing or replacing it.
After downloading some worksheets on a site you thought was safe, you get locked out of your computer by ransomware that asks for $50,000 before you can access your hard drive again.
Cyber liability insurance can cover the cost of recovering your data, including the cyber extortion payment.
If that new tablet you bought for in-class and at-home work gets stolen, equipment and materials (inland marine) insurance can cover the cost of replacing it.
How Teacher Insurance From Insurance Canopy Protects You
Lawsuits and liability incidents can happen to any teacher of any grade level, in any state, for a variety of reasons. If something like the above happens to you, you’ll be glad to have teacher insurance from Insurance Canopy.
Our policy includes the following essential coverages to provide a solid foundation of liability protection:
- General liability
- Professional liability
- Personal and advertising injury
- Products-completed operations
All of this coverage is available for as low as $21.08 a month — a steal compared to the thousands you could face in a lawsuit.
For even more protection, you can include any of our optional add-ons during checkout (or at any time afterward via your online dashboard):
- Equipment and materials
- Cyber liability
- Sexual abuse and molestation (SAM) liability
Preparing for the worst gives you the peace of mind to give your best each day in the classroom. Get teacher insurance in less than 10 minutes today with our easy online application and same-day proof of insurance!
FAQs About How Teacher Insurance Works
Can Teacher Insurance Protect Me From Student Disputes?
Yes! If you are named in a lawsuit because your students got into a fight under your care, teacher liability insurance can cover your legal fees.
Is Teacher Insurance Affordable?
Yes! Teacher insurance from Insurance Canopy can cost as low as $21.08 a month or $229 a year. Compared with the lawsuits mentioned above, that’s hundreds of dollars per year versus tens of thousands of dollars in surprise legal expenses.
Why Should I Get Teacher Insurance if My School Already Provides Coverage?
Your school’s policy can extend some liability protection to you, but first and foremost, it is there to protect your school. It’s not a substitute for having your own insurance policy, which is designed to protect you.
Learn more about what school insurance doesn’t cover and why you need your own coverage.
JoAnne Hammer | Program Manager
JoAnne Hammer is the Program Manager for Insurance Canopy. She has held the prestigious Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) designation since July 2004.
JoAnne understands that starting and operating a business takes a tremendous amount of time, dedication, and financial resources. She believes that insurance is the single best way to protect your investment, business, and personal assets.
JoAnne Hammer is the Program Manager for Insurance Canopy. She has held the prestigious Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) designation since July 2004.
JoAnne understands that starting and operating a business takes a tremendous amount of time, dedication, and financial resources. She believes that insurance is the single best way to protect your investment, business, and personal assets.
