How one BOCES pursues risk prevention |
On Board Online • October 10, 2022
By Angela Marshall
Imagine a first grader showing up in cowboy boots on the first day of school. Sounds cute, but what if the aforementioned student, like many six-year-olds, has a tendency to kick when upset? What if the student has not developed other ways of expressing frustration?
Nassau BOCES has been working with a consultant to raise staff awareness of sources of risk and minimize them. The Public Employer Risk Management Association (PERMA) has reviewed all workers' compensation claims at school districts and BOCES throughout New York State since 2017 and has developed recommendations based on patterns it found. (Editor's Note: PERMA is a NYSSBA business partner.)
One key finding: 66% of school worker compensation claims occurred when staff were working with students with special needs.
To address the issue, the BOCES asked PERMA to provide a special professional development workshop in September. In attendance were 550 teacher aides from four programs with the highest incidence of staff injury reports.
"We see this as an opportunity to provide targeted professional learning, development and resources for our programs in the areas of preventative best practice and safety," said Joanna Malament, assistant director for special education.
Angela Guptill-Nagle, a schools risk management specialist for PERMA, discussed what events typically led to claims. "Kick, scratch, bite or some type of hit, usually while transitioning a student from one activity to another, turned up the most," she said. "Learning to identify student triggers and signs of distress is key to preventative de-escalation of students."
One of the best practices for preventing injuries, according to Guptill-Nagle, is knowing the student's Individual Education Plan (IEP) and Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP). "Relationship building is so important," she said. "As you get to know the students in the classroom, you will begin to notice subtle differences in their behavior."
Guptill-Nagle reminded the teacher aides to avoid wearing open-toe shoes, jewelry, V-neck shirts or anything with strings. When they walk into the classroom, they were told to look for anything that could be used as a projectile and to put it out of student reach.
"Our training focused on mindful awareness," Guptill-Nagle explained after the training. "We asked teacher aides who were headbutted to think about their body positioning at the time. Why was the student's head that close? Then we walked them through a variety of techniques to help them avoid it happening again."
PERMA is planning to launch a pilot program at Nassau BOCES Jerusalem Avenue Elementary School that will equip staff with personal protective equipment (PPE). In September, teacher aides were measured for padded safety jackets as well as bite and shin guards.
Teacher Aide Kepler Jeune, who works in the school's protective timeout space, was happy to get fitted for the new PPE. Throughout his day, Jeune works to de-escalate students, many of whom arrive at the timeout space in a physically aggressive state.
"We are excited at the possibility of using these proactive measures to keep our staff and students safe," said Dr. Shaundrika Grey, principal of the Jerusalem Avenue Elementary School.
"PERMA helps Nassau BOCES with a review of our workers' compensation injuries and identifies steps that the agency can take to prevent or mitigate injuries," said Steve Jacob, Nassau BOCES Safety Coordinator. "Annual building visits serve as great reminders to employees to follow proper protocol."
Angela Marshall is public information officer for Nassau BOCES.