Student-on-teacher violence insurance claims down 39%

With back-to-school season in full swing, concerns about classroom violence are at the forefront, especially in light of this month’s shooting at Apalachee High School in Georgia.

In the midst of ongoing discussions about creating safer schools and heightened efforts from presidential candidates – such as Vice President Kamala Harris’ recent announcement of two new gun safety measures – Gallagher Bassett’s latest analysis reveals a positive trend: insurance claims related to student-on-teacher violence are dropping.

A downwards trend in school violence

According to Gallagher Bassett, claims of student-on-teacher violence – including incidents where physical harm such as biting, hitting, and other aggressive behaviors occur – have dropped by 39% this year compared to the 2022-2023 school year. Additionally, the total cost of these claims has decreased by nearly 50%.

“We conducted a cohort study using a substantial segment of our educational claims data,” said Greg McKenna, national practice leader, public sector at Gallagher Bassett. “By analyzing data from nearly 2,000 of our client schools across both urban and rural areas, we examined incidents of student-on-teacher violence in the years before and after the pandemic.”

The study reveals that while claims peaked during the 2017-2018 school year with 1,349 incidents, student-on-teacher violence has declined in the years following the pandemic.

The 2023-2024 school year saw 868 assault claims with a total cost of $4.9 million. This is a significant reduction from the 2022-2023 school year, which recorded 1,426 claims costing $9.7 million. 

The need for enhanced workers’ comp policies

While pinpointing the exact cause of the decline in student-on-teacher violence is challenging, McKenna suggested it could be linked to the renewed emphasis on mental health and student support services following the resumption of in-person education after the pandemic.

“I hope we see continued progress on reducing the number of these claims, because let’s face it, these are not the kind of claims that anybody wants to see,” he said.

However, when these incidents do occur, the trauma often extends beyond physical injuries, highlighting the need for insurers and state legislatures to consider advancing workers’ compensation policies to place more emphasis on PTSD and mental health support for teachers.

“While I wouldn’t say you’re going to see an overall decrease in all work-related injuries for teachers, we’re glad to see this subset of student-on-teacher violence coming down,” McKenna said. “It’s something we are eager to keep an eye on going forward.”