School nurses are pivotal to the safety of school-aged children, particularly those who receive medications in the school setting. The purpose of this study was to explore factors associated with medication administration errors in North Carolina school districts between 2012/2013 and 2017/2018. A longitudinal study using repeated measures…

The academic and economic benefits of school spending are well-established, but focusing on these outcomes may underestimate the full social benefits of school spending. Recent increases in U.S. child mortality are driven by injuries and raise questions about what types of social investments could reduce child deaths. We use close school district…

There is an increased risk of workplace accidents for younger employees. Academic laboratories have demonstrated a higher prevalence of accidents. Occupational health and safety (OHS) education plays a central role in reducing the risk of accidents and aims to habituate safety behavior in educational settings. The current research aims to…

Background: Schools should be safe spaces for students, teaching staff and non-teaching staff. For the concept of "safety" to be meaningful, it must be interpreted broadly to encompass well-being in its widest sense. A common challenge for schools and educational authorities is, therefore, to manage school safety appropriately not only…

Background: Approximately 10-25% of child and adolescent injuries occur at school. Little is known about school-related injuries to teachers and other adults or about the direct cost of injuries to schools. This study examined the characteristics of cases involving injuries resulting in lawsuits against schools, compared cases in which schools…

A student teacher has very limited authority in the classroom and his/her position with regard to the law remains obscure. Very few statutes concerning student teachers' legal status exist, and there are even fewer court cases involving student teachers. (Specific statutes and cases are cited.) There are, however, numerous legal problems that both…

This is a report of a study of safety issues at one urban middle school in New Jersey. The study had four objectives: (1) to identify the safety concerns of the staff and students of the school; (2) to determine effective strategies for improving safety; (3) to ascertain ways to implement strategies for improved safety; and (4) to determine ways…

In 1998, an estimated 3.4 million uninsured children were of high school age. Among highly populated states, there were wide differences in the percentage of these uninsured children, ranging from 28 percent in Texas to 6 percent in Massachusetts. Ten states and the District of Columbia require high school students to have health insurance before…

Noting that 90 percent of serious playground injuries result from falls to hard surfaces, this paper reviews the advantages and disadvantages of various playground surfacing materials in terms of cost, climate, durability, aesthetics, and play value. Findings are based on the personal experience of the author, government documents, laboratory…

For this study, information was obtained about accidential injuries among children in day care centers (DCC) and family day care homes (DCH) in North Carolina. An Accident Survey Questionnaire was used to report injuries that required treatment by a staff member, doctor, or nurse. Results of data analyses showed that: (1) falls were the leading…

A survey, based on site visits to 206 randomly selected playgrounds in school systems in 23 states, notes numerous safety problems. The designer of more than 75 playgrounds offers guidelines that improve the safety as well as the physical fitness value of school playgrounds. (MLF)

Describes an epidemiology of school injuries in Utah's public schools, analyzing 1990-97 school injury data from a standardized Student Injury Report form. Results find that 85 percent of the state's 44,565 school injuries were evaluated at a medical facility. High risk students were males and students in 4th-6th grades. Contributing factors…

Epidemiologic features of playground equipment-related injuries were studied in Tucson, Arizona, over a two-year period. One-fourth of the injuries were severe, and climbing equipment was involved in a disproportionate number of accidents. Schools with smaller enrollments and alternative schools had more injuries than larger or traditional…

Used the National Pediatric Trauma Registry, which collects data on child injuries requiring hospitalization, to examine causes and outcomes of injuries occurring at school. Analysis of 1,558 cases indicated that most injuries were unintentional and occurred among students age 10-14 years. Nearly half occurred in recreational areas. Falls and…

Review of data collected from student accident report forms in Hawaii public schools revealed that the intermediate grade level had the highest number of school accidents. The significant number of accidents and school days lost may warrant the need for better safety education. (Author/DF)