AAE Teacher Liability Insurance

Not all policies are alike and the AAE policy has some extra protection that other organizations don't offer. The AAE policy offers $2,000,000 of protection per occurrence, per member. Defense costs are paid in addition to this amount!

Every active AAE professional or student member is insured individually.

Accessing AAE's legal service benefits is never dependent on the discretion and pre-approval of an AAE executive. Access to your legal protection is not dependent upon whether your case is determined to be in the best interest of the AAE, as it is with some other organizations.

YOU are the insured!

On liability insurance-related matters, AAE members are free to use AAE's attorney referral network or they may prefer to seek out legal representation of their own choosing instead of having to accept a predetermined legal advisor as with some other organizations.

Please note…

AAE's network of attorneys bill our insurance provider—not you, the individual teacher—for services covered under AAE's plan …except in instances when you choose to use your own attorney. In those cases, your attorney will be reimbursed for services rendered up to the limits specified in the policy.

Who's Eligible?

Any member of the Association of American Educators who is a W-2 employee of an educational entity; i.e., public or private school, university, or college. Owners and board members are not eligible for coverage.

For independent contractors who need private practice insurance, please call the AAE office for details: (800) 704-7799.

Here are some commonly asked questions about AAE's two million dollar liability insurance policy:

Q. What's covered under this policy?

A. You will be protected against a broad range of exposures, including the following allegations (whether those allegations are true or false):

• Injuries to students under your supervision • Failure to educate • Violation of students' civil rights • Hiring unqualified persons • Failure to promote students or grant credit • Improper methods of instruction • Accusations of sexual or physical abuse

Q. Won't my school have liability insurance? Why should I have my own coverage?

A. While most likely your district will have liability insurance, that policy must protect the district, school board members, trustees, administrators, as well as teachers, and must defend everything from their student admission policies to their employment practices. Institutions can end up spending millions of dollars to defend a case against them and the related damages or settlement amounts. If the district's policy is not broad enough you may find yourself personally and financially liable for alleged actions or inactions.

Q. What kinds of things are not covered by this policy?

A. Criminal acts for which you are found guilty. Activities not arising out of your educational activities. Intentionally inflicting bodily injury (except corporal punishment).

Q. Am I covered for lawsuits based on sexual harassment or abuse?

A. Yes. After a $100 deductible, the plan pays 90% of your attorney's fees up to $50,000, provided you are found to be not guilty or the charges are dropped.

Q. Are lawsuits against educators increasing?

A. Yes. As part of a general trend in increased litigation, the number of lawsuits against schools and teachers has been rising over the last decade. According to an American Tort Reform Association survey, almost 1/3 of all high school principals have been involved in a lawsuit in the last two years, compared to only 9% percent ten years ago.

Q. Does this coverage protect me only if I'm found not guilty?

A. You'll be protected against exposures in civil suits such as failure to educate or violation of student civil rights—whether you're at fault or completely innocent. However, in the event of criminal charges—such as sexual abuse or charges arising out of corporal punishment—the policy will only respond if you are found not guilty or the charges are dismissed.

Q. What about legal help if I'm suspended?

A. The plan will pay up to $500 for your initial consultation with an attorney, and it will pay another $750 of the cost of having an attorney represent you at a formal hearing of a school board or other authority if you are threatened with termination, suspension, reassignment, or demotion. In addition, you will receive up to $4000 for legal fees, subject to $100 deductible, if you decide to sue because of termination, reassignment, suspension, or demotion. However, that final judgment must be rendered in your favor. If not, your policy will still pay $750 for reimbursement of legal fees without regard to final judgment. If the above coverage doesn't sound like much, remember that those amounts are guaranteed.

Other organizations' plans may promise you greater coverage amounts in job protection benefits, but they can decide whether you receive coverage. It is well known in the industry that some organizations only choose to represent their members in cases that advance the organization's goals, and only if they think the case can be won. Their insurance and legal protection may look good, but if they don't take your case, it's worthless!

With the AAE plan you know that you have up to $5,000 in job protection benefits. And you would be surprised how many job-related conflicts are resolved with just a couple of phone calls from your association or attorney.

Q. When does my coverage apply?

A. Your plan will provide coverage for claims brought at any time, as long as the occurrence that resulted in litigation occurred while your Educators’ Professional Liability policy was in effect. You'll be covered even if you've dropped the coverage, as long as your coverage was in force when the incident happened.

Q. Since the AAE is relatively new, will I be as protected under your plan?

A. Absolutely! AAE's $2,000,000 liability insurance policy is as solid as any being offered. It is not relevant how old or how big the AAE is, but how established our insurance provider is. Forrest T. Jones & Company, Inc. has over thirty years experience in handling association insurance needs and are the administrators of the Trust for Insuring Educators (TIE). TIE was established in June 1973 specifically for educator groups leaving the umbrella of the unions. Those groups found it was difficult to secure insurance plans for their members that were equal in benefit and cost to those of the unions because they lacked large numbers of members and consequently the buying power that the unions had in setting up its programs. TIE made it possible for member organizations to pool their memberships to create a large enough base to secure competitive insurance plans and rates. As of July 2007 there are over sixty national associations comprising more than 1.7 million members in TIE.

For a list of associations participating in TIE, visit the web-site at: http://www.ftj.com/../TIE/pages/assnlist.asp

Forrest T. Jones & Company, Inc., specialists in association and membership benefits, offers AAE members professional liability insurance and many other up-to-date insurance plans that give protection at special association prices. For additional information, visit the AAE's pages for Optional Insurance Coverages, or contact Forrest T. Jones & Company, Inc. directly by calling (800) 265-9366, E-mail: info@ftj.com, or visit their web-site at www.ftj.com.