Innovation Pays Off with the TASB Risk Management Fund

By Allison Kaminsky

For eight years now, the TASB Risk Management Fund has recognized the individual successes of our members’ risk management efforts with the annual Innovation Award. Presented yearly at the Fund’s Members’ Conference, these awards are meant to spotlight members for their initiatives, products, and programs that successfully demonstrate cost-effectiveness, originality, transferability, and the ability to address needs at the overall member level. Again this year, ten deserving members were selected and awarded a commemorative plaque and $1,000 to apply toward their continuing risk management efforts. Continue reading to see how your fellow members earned such an esteemed honor:

Aquilla ISD, in partnership with their local CareFlite, hosted its first CPR Awareness Day.  All high school students were provided basic CPR and AED training. Following the day of training, the same course was offered to parents and community members.

Bandera ISD established the “Report a Bully Tip Line” allowing students, parents, and teachers to report suspicious behavior or possible bullying to a central tip line that is monitored by a central office administrator. Any information received is immediately transmitted to the affected campus or department for consideration and possible action.

Covington ISD installed Child Sleep Monitors on all of their buses and attached strobe lights on the tops of the buses to ensure students were not left behind and that the buses were visible on the town’s winding hill country roads.

Deer Park ISD implemented a modified light-duty Return to Work (RTW) program, resulting in employees returning to work full-duty sooner, reconnecting with their peer group, and reducing the number and cost of WC-related injuries over a multi-year period. Cash outflows have decreased by over $200,000 since 2005-06, resulting in a 33 percent decrease in ultimate final costs of all claims and a 91 percent decrease in current claims costs.

Hallettsville ISD hosted an Employee Health Fair hosting 26 vendors from the Hallettsville community and surrounding communities. One hundred and ten employees were trained in CPR and defibrillation training along with 80 senior students. In addition to the Health Fair, the employees continue to receive staff education on health through brochures and e-mails throughout the year.

Longview ISD held and staffed on-site vaccination clinics at every campus and building in the district, including ten elementary schools, three middle schools, and one high school. H1N1 vaccinations were administered in late January/early February and 2nd doses or those who missed were administered in March.  Additionally, school nurses provided classroom instruction on proper hand-washing and other methods of infection control. 

Lubbock ISD provided a free mass health screening for all employees, including blood pressure, BMI, body fat percentage, and a finger stick for total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, TC/HDL ratio, and triglycerides. Following the screenings, the district wellness coordinator and wellness nurse contacted each person who had elevated values. The findings supported the necessity of this program: undiagnosed hypertension, elevated glucose levels, high cholesterol, low HDL cholesterol, and significant weight management issues.

Mesquite ISD developed online safety training seminars for campus personnel that were administered through the district's intranet system. Campus employees can now conveniently sit at their own computers to attend safety training sessions at their leisure instead of interrupting their instructional duties to attend traditional group training. On average the district reaches 950 campus employees per quarter who otherwise would not be exposed to safety training materials.

Pleasant Grove ISD installed a video security camera system in a new intermediate school, a new high school gym, and a new multi-purpose building. The system monitors student activities, vandalism, and burglaries 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Willis ISD started a Safety Performance Semester Program consisting of three Safety Performance Semesters, in which principals and directors compete against each other to motivate their staff to think about safety. The Superintendent has used the program to boost safety and performance recognition during the year instead of just at district meetings held at the beginning and end of each year. 

Congratulations to all winners! Recipients of the Innovation Award set an excellent example of timely, creative, and effective approaches to risk management that we hope other Fund members will emulate.

If you are interested in applying for next year’s Innovation Award, continue to check the Fund’s Web Site for details. The 2012 application will be available on line late this summer. You may also contact Rosiland Myers at 800.482.7276, ext. 2003 or by e-mail at  for more information.