School Safety Lapses Lead to Severe Injuries in Pedestrian Incident

Case Overview

This case involves a girl who sustained severe injuries after being struck by a motorist in a middle school's pick-up area. The incident occurred while she was walking with a friend, resulting in permanent orthopedic damage. It has been alleged that the school lacked adequate safety policies and plans to prevent such incidents, raising significant liability concerns. Understanding the circumstances that led to this tragic event is crucial, particularly regarding the school's safety protocols and traffic management strategies.

Questions to the School expert and their responses

Please describe your professional experience working with middle school safety plans, specifically as a school safety or security officer, if applicable.

I am a former police officer, school superintendent, and deputy superintendent overseeing operations, including safety at school sites.

Briefly, what policies and procedures exist to prevent incidents such as the one described above from occurring?

Typically, schools set up cones or have sidewalks painted to designate pick-up and drop-off areas, as well as "drive-through" areas. Each year at the beginning of the year, a principal would send out a message to families as to the proper traffic flow for pick-up and drop-off, as well as a student path of travel. Some schools have the custodian or others put cones out to control traffic. Newer principals may sometimes have a harder time with this as they do not necessarily know the history or they think they can change it to make it better. Many times, local law enforcement is involved and/or consulted on how best to control traffic.

About the expert

This expert has over 20 years of experience working in the field of school safety. He earned his BS in management and MBA in Finance from William Paterson University. He then went on to earn an EdD from Seton Hall University. Today, this expert is an active member of the Association of School Business Officials International and the Horace Mann Society of Education. Previously, he served as a police officer for Wayne Township and a district business administrator of the North Caldwell Public School District. Additionally, he served as the superintendent of two public school districts in New Jersey. Currently, he serves as the deputy superintendent at a school district in California where he holds the responsibility for all district operations including risk management and transportation.

E-1002420

Specialties:

School

Celia Guo is the Vice President of Multidisciplinary Research at Expert Institute. With a background rooted in public policy and criminal justice, Celia brings a wealth of experience in data-driven legal analysis. Prior to joining The Expert Institute, she conducted research for the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, focusing on drug diversion cases, and collaborated with the American Civil Liberties Union to analyze officer-involved shootings in Fresno, California. Her policy advocacy work also includes lobbying with the Drug Policy Alliance for the RISE Act, aimed at reforming sentencing enhancements for minor drug offenses.

Celia holds a B.A. in Political Science from Loyola Marymount University and an M.P.P. from the University of Southern California. She combines her policy expertise with a passion for justice to lead a dynamic research team that supports litigation strategy across a wide range of practice areas.