Grassy Lake High School Case Summary

Case Summary Mrs. Green is an intern studying school administration, assigned to Grassy Lake High School. She was charged with learning about the bus routes, arrival schedules, dismissal procedures, and discipline handlings, with the help of assistant principal Mr. Miller. Mrs. Green notices there are multiple bus changes being sent from the bus garage less than an hour before dismissal which is causing much confusion. The school uses a communication display which is updated every afternoon to reflect the daily bus assignments, while the leadership staff has a hard copy to reference on the lot. Despite the attempts for a smooth dismissal, it seems as though multiple students miss their bus several times a week.
Students who are left by their
Parents have an expectation to assume their child will be looked after while at school. The question arises, at what point is the school no longer liable for students? Acts are considered negligent when a person’s actions do not meet this standard of care.
Moral and ethical principles to be considered? Teachers and administrators are held to a high standard of care as it relates to students. It is expected that reasonable steps be taken to minimize the risk of foreseeable harm. If the school is taking steps to minimize the risk, they are acting as any reasonable principal would act. In this case, we need to consider why this student was left unsupervised. This case also relates to the duty of care, an element of tort negligence. The law has established that, in some circumstances, a school’s duty will extend beyond school hours. For this reason, steps must be taken to provide supervision. Tort law is used to measure whether a real person’s actions match up to what the reasonable person would have done. Also, school board policy should be considered and followed in this case, including specific responsibilities about the supervision of students.