When you send your child to school in Kentucky, you expect them to be safe and get a good education. Unfortunately, maintaining a secure environment for these students can sometimes be a tough task.
Negligent security is a significant problem in Kentucky schools, leading to incidents of lasting trauma. At Kaufman & Stigger, PLLC, we understand how difficult this situation can be not only for your child, but for your entire family. Our team of experienced Kentucky negligent security lawyers have the experience and commitment to hold schools accountable for not protecting your child’s safety and legal rights. If your child or a loved one has suffered an injury due to negligent security at their school, contact us today for a free consultation.
Liability in Negligent Security Incidents at Kentucky Schools
Obviously, no one sends their child to school in Kentucky and expects their security and safety to be compromised. But again, guaranteeing the safety of every student is a tall task, especially when you consider the number of students there are and the potential types of incidents that can happen. With that said, though, a negligent security incident is one that should be at the forefront of any school administration.
In terms of liability, the school and the administration–like the county or city board of education–are the ones that are ultimately responsible for any harm that comes to your child while at the school.
At the same time, though, there are other potentially liable parties that breach their duty of care to your child when a negligent security incident happens:
- School security staff – If the school has individuals responsible for security, any failure in carrying out their duties or lack of proper training might result in them being held responsible.
- Facility maintenance workers – Carelessness in upkeeping the physical security components, like damaged locks or faulty security systems, could contribute to legal liability.
- External parties – When the school has enlisted external security services, any negligence on their part may lead to potential legal liability.
Legal Process
Once you’ve established that your child’s school failed to adequately ensure their safety, it’s a crucial initial step in holding them accountable. However, the primary objective is to guarantee safety for everyone within the school community.
If there’s harm from a security problem, the crucial next step is to take legal action. You can do this by formally taking action against the school, either by filing a claim with their insurance for costs or, if needed, by suing them and the administration like the school board, city, or county.
In either scenario, there’s a possibility of recovering some of the costs or damages you’ve experienced.
These costs–and by extension, your damages–may include things like:
- Medical expenses and future healthcare costs
- Financial support for the pain and suffering your family has endured
- Financial consideration for emotional distress
- Support for your child’s diminished quality of life
In cases where the school’s negligence is particularly severe, punitive damages might be awarded.
Beyond seeking financial support, you can ask the judge to make the school implement better security measures to prevent future incidents. This proactive approach contributes to making every student safer in Kentucky schools.
Our experienced legal team can help you decide if such actions are appropriate and support you in seeking relief for both you and the affected students.
Steps to Take After a Negligent Security Incident at a Kentucky School
When handling a security incident at your child’s school, a strategic approach is essential. The process demands a significant investment of time and energy, especially while dealing with your child’s injuries and other damages. That said, there’s certain things you’ll need to do to protect their claim and rights:
- Get medical attention – Make sure your child gets immediate medical attention. This not only gets them to safety, but takes care of any potential injuries. Also, their medical records here will be important evidence.
- Inform the school – Concurrently, make sure the school knows about the incident right away. This way, they can take action to prevent further incidents as well as investigate the incident that hurt your child.
How Our Team Can Help
To make it easier, you can rely on our experienced team. We’ve developed a proven system of success in these claims, focusing on the following:
- Collecting evidence – The first step involves collecting any evidence supporting your claim of negligent security. This may include uncovering records of past security incidents, assessing the effectiveness of existing security measures, or identifying areas where security is lacking.
- Analyzing school security policies – Schools are obligated to have written policies for ensuring security. Examining these policies can reveal if they were followed appropriately, forming the basis for a claim of negligent security.
- Contacting and interviewing witnesses – Directly speaking to witnesses who may have information about security lapses or the school’s security practices is crucial. This may involve staff members, students, or anyone else with relevant insights.
- Consulting with security experts – Leveraging our network of school security experts, we can engage professionals familiar with security practices in educational institutions. These experts can review the school’s security measures and testify to any deficiencies contributing to the security incident.
How Do Negligent Security Incidents Happen in Kentucky Schools?
Again, it’s difficult to ensure the security of every student at a particular school. At the same time, this is arguably the most important responsibility a school has. So, in order to know how to protect your legal rights, it’s important to understand how these things happen:
- Insufficient security – Schools may fail to implement sufficient security measures, such as surveillance cameras, proper lighting, or access control systems, leaving vulnerabilities that could be exploited.
- Short staffing – A lack of adequately trained security personnel or a shortage of staff to monitor and respond to security threats can contribute to negligent security.
- Poor or neglected facilities – Neglecting the maintenance of security infrastructure, such as broken locks, malfunctioning alarms, or damaged fencing, can compromise the overall security of the school premises.
- Not addressing known risks – If a school is aware of specific security risks but fails to take appropriate action to address them, it may be considered negligent.
- Not enough training – Security personnel, staff, and even students may not receive proper training on security protocols and emergency response procedures, leading to lapses in safety.
- Negligent hiring practices – Employing individuals without thorough background checks or hiring personnel without the necessary qualifications can contribute to security lapses.
- Insufficient or ineffective policies – Schools may have security policies in place, but if these are poorly formulated or not consistently enforced, they may not effectively mitigate security risks.
- Not responding properly – In the event of a security incident, a delayed or inadequate response by school authorities can exacerbate the situation and lead to increased harm.
Regardless of what led to the incident, it’s ultimately on the school to take “reasonable” measures to prevent any student from being harmed. So, when there’s a negligent security incident, the school has to take most of the responsibility. While every situation is different, what’s of the utmost importance is your child’s safety. Taking legal action is a great way to make sure that your child is taken care of and future incidents don’t happen.
Committed Kentucky Negligent Security Lawyers Can Help Your Child
When a security incident happens at a school, the safety of students becomes a major worry. Interactions with different school staff members can lead to mistreatment and security gaps, which can be avoided if the school takes the necessary measures to prevent negligent security practices.
Kaufman & Stigger is here to help when Kentucky schools fail to adequately protect their students. Our team of seasoned Kentucky lawyers can assist you in navigating the process of a case against the school for negligent security. To begin the process, contact us today for a free consultation.
