Broad Coverage but with Excluded Activities:  Pool liability coverage is broad, and protects the district in most school-sponsored activities. However, there are four important exclusions to this broad coverage that you need to be aware of.

There is no coverage for the following activities:

1. Air or Flight activities: Airplane flying, hang gliding, helicopters, hot air balloons, parachuting and skydiving
2. Motorized races and contests: Auto racing, demolition contests, soapbox and go-cart races, demolition contests, stunting and tractor pulls
3. Activities involving watercraft over 26 feet in length: Provide certain information (a form is available from Pool staff) prior to use of non-owned watercraft over 26 feet in length and receive acknowledgment of same from Pool and school district negligence onboard is covered by the Pool.
4. White water rafting and jet skis: The use of any raft, tube, or other vessel used for navigating white water streams, and any jet ski or other similar motorized personal watercraft designed to carry two or fewer persons.

High Risk Activities TO AVOID:  Discourage sponsoring risky recreational activities with little educational value. Weigh the risks against the benefits carefully when you consider an activity. Ask yourself: Is the curriculum objective worth the risk of injury? and Is there a safer way to meet the educational objective?

• Water Activities • Many water activities, while not expressly excluded from coverage, are strongly recommended against by the Pool because of the increased potential for injury and death. Call us for guidelines and requirements recommended for the following activities: canoeing, kayaking, wind surfing, power boat racing, private swimming pools, swimming in lakes and rivers, scuba diving, watercraft activities (except for a ferryboat ride or if a properly insured commercial passenger boat is used), water skiing, water slides, and water parks

• Amusement Park Activities • Amusement park/carnival rides, bungee jumping, dunk tanks, fairground activities, Ferris wheels, food eating contests, moonwalks
• Animal Activities • Donkey basketball, horse riding, pack animal trips, saddle animals, snake handling, stray domestic animals (dogs, hamsters), birds, uncaged wild animals
• Athletics Not WIAA Approved • High-impact aerobics, archery, martial arts, rugby, mud or Jell-O wrestling, powder puff football, skiing (both snow and water), snowboarding
• Skating • Inline roller skating, roller blading, roller or ice skating at rinks and skateboarding, that are not part of an approved P.E. class
• Wilderness Activities • Mountain climbing, spelunking (cave exploring), rappelling, wilderness survival, and search and rescue class

Other Miscellaneous Activities TO AVOID

• bonfires
• building houses, boats, cars
• building or firing rockets
• glass blowing
• haunted houses
• having a car wash where students use toxic chemicals, or any activity where students mix chemicals
• having an after school open gym
• having students cook (except as part of home economics or vocational education programs) or offering home-cooked foods
• having wild west shows
• paintballing
• running on or near the road, or on wilderness trails
• shooting off firecrackers or firework sales
• using firearms of any type
• using trampolines
• private parties

One way to protect the district from the liability involved with the above-listed activities is for the district to transfer the risk to a PTA or other outside group and have them conduct the activities. Ensure that any announcement specifies that the school district is not sponsoring the activity and has no insurance coverage for such activity. Require the outside group to have at least $1 million limits of general liability insurance with the district named as an additional insured. Have the Pool examine contractual agreements you sign with organizations running the activities to make sure the district is protected through indemnification clauses.

If your school still insists on sponsoring any of the above-listed activities, please call the Pool to discuss how to help improve student safety and protect the district from financial loss. Be sure to have parents sign an Assumption of Risk/ Permission To Participate form that specifically describes the inherent risks of the activity.