Many teachers, tutors, and coaches think that because their school is insured, they’ll be covered if something happens.
Unfortunately, they might be wrong. Teachers without personal liability insurance are often exposed to risks that their school’s policy won’t cover, leaving them vulnerable to expensive and potentially career-ending lawsuits without their knowledge.
Let’s take a closer look at what school insurance doesn’t cover and how teacher liability insurance fills those gaps so you can make the most educated decision about your coverage needs.
Why Relying on School Insurance Isn’t Enough
School insurance is designed to protect schools from common liabilities that come with the territory. It’s a collection of various policies that typically includes general liability, property insurance, and employer’s liability insurance.
While these policies can provide some coverage for you, there are three major vulnerabilities you face as a teacher if you rely solely on your school’s policy:
- School insurance policies typically only cover events that happen on school grounds and during normal school hours. This means accidents that happen at a tutoring session at the local library or an after-school club likely wouldn’t be covered by your school’s or district’s policy.
- Although a school or district’s policy may automatically extend to employees like you, you likely won’t be named directly in that policy. The policy usually only covers you if an accident happens while acting within your role’s scope. This leaves a dangerous gray area about how that’s defined and what the policy might consider outside your normal job duties.
- If your school or district faces an expensive lawsuit and its policy runs dry, there won’t be anything left for you. The school’s policy is there to protect it first and foremost, so it will cover all of its expenses and expect you to cover your own if you’re involved in the suit.
That’s why teachers need their own coverage — because school liability insurance leaves gaps that teachers cannot protect themselves from otherwise.
Examples of What School Insurance Does and Doesn’t Cover
Below are several scenarios that could happen to any teacher. Incidents like these can be extremely costly, resulting in expensive legal fees and serious reputational damage.
| Situation | Covered by School Insurance | Covered by Teacher Liability Insurance From Insurance Canopy* |
|---|---|---|
|
A student gets injured in class while on school grounds |
✅ Likely |
✅ Yes |
|
You accidentally damage the smartboard in your classroom while teaching a lesson during school hours |
✅ Likely |
✅ Yes |
|
You’re named in a lawsuit for negligence that led to a student’s injury during a field trip
|
⚠️ Maybe |
✅ Yes |
|
A parent accuses you of causing their child emotional distress due to classroom discipline |
⚠️ Maybe |
✅ Yes |
|
A parent sues when their child is injured during the summer camp you run |
❌ No |
✅ Yes |
|
You mistakenly share copyrighted content while teaching an online class |
❌ No |
✅ Yes |
*All policies have conditions, limitations, and exclusions. Please read the policy for exact verbiage. Claim scenario circumstances vary in nature, and similar claims do not guarantee coverage.
The Benefits of Teacher Liability Insurance
There are many reasons why getting your own insurance as a teacher is critical, including:
- Coverage for off-campus activities: If you tutor, coach, or work with students in any capacity off your school’s premises, teacher liability insurance can fill any coverage gaps left by your school’s policy. This means more freedom to pick up side gigs and maybe make a little extra money without worrying if your school would cover you.
- Protection against your own personal liability: Say you’re named in a lawsuit against the school you work for, and the school’s insurance policy will only cover their legal fees. Having your own teaching insurance protects you from paying for lawyers’ fees, settlements, and judgments out of pocket.
- Consistent coverage across multiple campuses: If you work at multiple schools, it can be hard to keep track of the coverage you have from one school’s policy to the next. Insurance Canopy’s teacher liability policy follows you wherever you go, giving you dependable coverage no matter where your career takes you.
- Peace of mind: Teaching keeps you busy enough — you don’t want to spend precious time worrying about whether you’re covered if something happens on that next field trip. Being insured means less time spent stressing and more time to spend planning an immersive new activity your students won’t soon forget.
Types of Personal Insurance Every Educator Should Consider
There are two types of coverage every teacher needs:
- General liability insurance: Designed to cover bodily injury or property damage to others stemming from your teaching or job duties
- Professional liability insurance: Can cover the cost of harm to others because of what you do or fail to do as a teacher (also known as errors and omissions insurance)
These two coverages are the core of Insurance Canopy’s teacher liability insurance policy because they’re universally needed and protect you from the most common risks you face.
However, you may need more coverage depending on the risks you face and the nature of your teaching job, such as:
- Cyber liability (data breach) insurance: If you rely on tech to teach, whether it’s storing grades on your laptop or downloading teaching activities from other sites, you’re vulnerable to cybercrimes or equipment failure. Cyber liability insurance can cover the cost of recovering that data if you accidentally download ransomware and can’t access your digital gradebook.
- Inland marine (equipment and materials) insurance: Using your own equipment when you teach, such as a laptop or tablet, leaves it vulnerable to damage or theft. Equipment and materials insurance covers the cost of repairing or replacing your teaching materials, so you aren’t left with hundreds or thousands of dollars in surprise expenses.
- Sexual abuse and molestation insurance: If you are falsely accused of sexual misconduct on the job, this coverage helps pay your legal defense costs.
Pro Tip: Cyber liability, equipment and materials, and sexual abuse and molestation insurance are all add-on coverage options through Insurance Canopy! Easily customize your teacher liability insurance policy for an additional fee while completing your application or at any time afterward from your account.
Safeguard Your Career With Teacher Liability Coverage from Insurance Canopy
You can get a base policy that includes general and professional liability coverage for as low as $21.08 per month. That pales in comparison to the thousands (or more!) in out-of-pocket costs you could face without insurance.
Plus, it takes 10 minutes or less to get your policy through our painless online application. No need to speak with an agent (unless you want to) — just check out and download your Certificate of Insurance immediately after purchase!
Teaching is your passion. Protect it with teacher liability insurance today!
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.
