5 Risk Priorities to Set Now for Fall

You may be thinking, “It’s still summer, so why are we already talking about fall?” But planning is one of the best ways to support employee and student safety. While we cannot prepare for everything, there are still important steps districts can take now to reduce risk and prepare for what’s ahead.

Here are five risk priorities to consider now as districts prepare for the fall:

1. Walk the Campus

Because summer work often overlaps with the return of staff, campuses may not be fully ready when people start coming back. Completing a final safety walk-through before students arrive can help identify hazards early and prevent avoidable incidents.

• Check high-traffic areas such as hallways, restrooms, entrances, and gymnasiums for hazards.
• Inspect playgrounds and parking areas for maintenance or repair needs.
• Ensure areas are well-lit to identify hazardous spots.

Quick Win: Download the TASB Slips, Trips, and Falls Inspection Checklist and schedule a quick 15-to-30-minute walk-through with your team before staff and students return.

2. Review Emergency Readiness

Most districts have an emergency plan, but the more important question is whether employees know what to do if something happens on the first day of school. This is a good time to review procedures, refresh expectations, and make sure staff feel prepared to respond. Districts may want to ask:

• Are our procedures up to date and easy to follow?
• Would staff know what to do if an emergency occurs on the first day of school?
• When do the communication systems get tested (radios, alerts, parent and staff notifications)?
• Are employees following safety protocols, such as keeping doors securely closed and ensuring visitors check in before entering secure areas?

Quick Win: Review your current emergency procedures, make changes where needed, and share these Top Tips for Keeping Your Campus Secure with your staff.

3. Strengthen Early Reporting Culture

Early reporting is an important part of employee safety. Before the school year begins, districts should make sure employees know when and where to report injuries and whether a near-miss or electronic reporting system is in place. If not, now is a good time to build one.

• Electronic reporting is simple, fast and easier to access than paper forms.
• Reporting near-misses and acting on them quickly can help employees see that safety concerns are taken seriously.
• A flyer or QR code for employees to keep on hand is another no-cost tool that can encourage participation and support earlier reporting.

Quick Win: Start an early reporting or near-miss campaign. Use no-cost tools like Google Forms, Microsoft Forms, or Smartsheet to support electronic reporting. This can save time compared to paper reporting, and the information can be copied into your First Report of Injury when needed.

Video: Learn about Arlington ISD's Fund Excellence Award-winning, near-miss reporting initiative.

4. Address Common Early-Year Issues

The beginning of the school year often brings a spike in incidents. Reviewing claims from previous years can help districts identify patterns and focus on issues that tend to surface early, including the ones that are easy to overlook. Examples:

• Transportation-related issues such as new bus routes, heavier traffic, or new drivers.
• New employees may not yet know how to respond when an incident occurs.
• Cybersecurity concerns, including phishing attempts or system failures after summer downtime.

Quick Win: Use the TASB Data Center to review last year’s claims and identify which issues were most common at the start of the year. That can help determine where additional focus or corrective action may be needed.

5. Train Beyond Compliance

Training is another area where early planning can make a difference. For districts trying to get ahead before the school year starts, PublicSchoolWORKS (PSW) can simplify the process by organizing and assigning training early. That gives staff one less thing to manage once the fall rush begins. Benefits of getting started with PSW now include:

• Driver safety, safe lifting, and mental health are all topics worth revisiting before the school year begins.
• PSW offers compliance and safety-based training options, giving districts one place to manage a wide range of staff training needs.
• PSW’s learning management system reduces administrative work by handling tasks like course assignments, so districts can focus on other priorities before the year begins.

Quick Win: Sign up for a demonstration or implementation now so your district can begin the year with training in place.

These no-cost steps can help districts start the year stronger and safer. The goal is not to do everything at once, but to begin where it makes the most sense and build from there. A safer school year often starts with a few simple actions taken early. Regional Risk Solutions Consultants are available to help you along the way.