Preventing School Injuries: A Comprehensive Guide for School Administrators, Teachers, and Staff

Each year in the United States, one out of every fourteen students suffers a school injury serious enough to require medical attention and some, in addition, are temporarily disable. In every two-year period, 80 percent of elementary school children see a school nurse for the treatment of an injury. Injury may be the most common condition treated by school health-care personnel. Yet, few schools or school districts have explicit injury prevention programs. Most schools respond to injuries on an ad hoc basis and often only after the damage has been done. Preventing School Injuries examines how and why students are injured in schools and in situations for which school districts can be held responsible. This book provides the motivation, knowledge, and tools needed to create and implement a comprehensive school injury prevention program. And because no injury prevention program can be 100 percent effective, Preventing School Injuries demonstrates how schools can provide a quick, efficient, and effective emergency response to those injuries that occur despite efforts to prevent them.