Chicago School Negligence Lawyer

When parents send their children to school, they place immense trust in educators, administrators, and other staff members to keep them safe and secure. Unfortunately, some schools fail in those duties, and both the child and their family suffer as a consequence.

At Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C., we fight to hold negligent schools and their employees accountable when a child gets injured on their watch. Our Chicago school negligence lawyers understand the profound impact these incidents have on a child’s future and the family’s peace of mind, and we are dedicated to seeking justice on their behalf. Contact us today to learn more.

How Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C. Can Help with Your School Negligence Case

Taking on a school negligence claim independently can be a challenging task. These cases often involve several potentially liable parties and complicated legal procedures. Working with a skilled school injury attorney in Illinois can alleviate the burden of handling the case yourself and level the playing field. Our Chicago child injury lawyers can help by:

• Reviewing Your Case for Free: A Chicago child injury attorney from our law firm can meet with you to discuss your case, review the evidence, ask some key questions, and inform you of your legal options, free of charge.
• Investigating and Gathering Evidence: The school often possesses most of the evidence in these cases. Our legal team can preserve and obtain surveillance footage, maintenance records, safety logs, internal communications, and incident reports to build a compelling case.
• Filing Your Claim: Cases against public schools involve a uniquely complicated legal procedure with more rules and shorter deadlines than typical personal injury claims. We can file your claim or lawsuit accurately and promptly to avoid limiting your rights.
• Working with Experts: Depending on the nature of the case, we can utilize a network of safety experts, medical professionals, child psychologists, and educational impact experts to provide unique insight and acquire powerful testimony to lend credibility to your claim.
• Aggressive Representation: Our seasoned personal injury lawyers challenge big insurance companies and school districts that try to avoid responsibility and minimize claims. We refuse low settlement offers and prepare every case as if it will go to trial.
• No Fees Unless We Win: You do not need to risk further financial distress to receive the legal representation you and your family deserve. We operate on a contingency fee basis, which means you pay us nothing up front, and you owe no attorney fees unless we win your child injury case.

If your child was injured at school due to someone else’s negligence, Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C. can help. We are dedicated to protecting the rights of injured children and their families. Contact us today to take advantage of a free case review.

What Is School Negligence?

School negligence occurs when a school or staff member acts carelessly or recklessly and causes a child harm. Illinois law requires schools to protect students from foreseeable harm. When school employees ignore hazards or fail to provide adequate supervision to the children in their care, that may constitute a breach of that duty.

However, not every mishap at school justifies legal action. Children sometimes get hurt even when everyone tasked with protecting them acts responsibly. However, when a school’s action, or lack thereof, creates an unreasonable risk, the law allows families to hold the negligent party accountable.

Negligent supervision at school can involve school staff ignoring dangerous behavior and allowing children to get hurt as a result, or it can involve failing to address hazards on school premises that can cause severe injuries. Our attorneys can investigate the incident to determine how the injury occurred and who may be responsible, then build a compelling case to hold the responsible parties accountable.

Common Examples of School Negligence

School injury cases can take several forms, each with unique legal considerations. Some of the most common types of negligence our school liability attorneys see include:

Lack of Supervision

Teachers and staff must watch students during recess, lunch, hall change or passing periods, and extracurricular activities. When they fail to identify and intervene in dangerous situations and a child suffers preventable harm, it may constitute inadequate supervision and provide grounds for a legal claim against the school.

Unsafe Premises or Equipment (Playground Injuries)

Schools must maintain safe premises for all visitors. Broken swings or other playground equipment, loose handrails, slippery floors, or damaged bleachers create serious risks that must be addressed promptly, or the school may be held liable for any resulting injuries.

Bullying and Assaults

Bullying can cause physical pain in some cases and lasting emotional damage in all cases. Schools have a legal responsibility to address bullying and prevent foreseeable violent incidents. Ignoring complaints allows the bullying to continue and contributes to an unsafe environment. If a student suffers a preventable assault, the school may be responsible.

Sports-Related Injuries

School sports involve risk, but coaches and athletic staff must mitigate that risk as much as possible by using proper equipment, following medical guidelines for injuries, and training athletes safely. Pushing players beyond safe limits or ignoring injury symptoms may constitute negligence.

School Bus and Transportation Incidents

Parents trust bus drivers to get their children to and from school safely every day. A distracted, fatigued, impaired, or poorly trained driver puts large groups of children at serious risk. If a crash occurs, the driver, the transportation company, and potentially the school district may be held responsible.

Sexual Abuse

Unfortunately, some schools ignore or fail to prevent the children entrusted in their care from being sexually abused by school employees. Improper supervision sometimes contributes to these incidents, and the school may be held responsible for them. Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C. has extensive experience handling sexual abuse cases, including cases involving teachers accused of sexual abuse, a child with special needs being sexually assaulted by a teacher’s aide, and accusations regarding sexual hazing at Northwestern University.

Who Can Be Held Liable for an Injury at School?

Several parties may share responsibility for your child’s injury, depending on the circumstances of the case. Those parties might include:

• Public or Private Schools: Both private and public schools have the primary duty to supervise children, hire staff, follow safety protocols, and maintain a hazard-free building and premises.
• Teachers and Staff: Individual governmental employees may be held responsible if they ignore known dangers or violate school safety policies and a student suffers harm as a result.
• School Districts or Boards: The district or board may share liability for creating or enforcing unsafe policies in public schools. Suing a school district in Illinois involves strict deadlines, so families must act quickly.
• Third-Party Vendors or Contractors: Maintenance companies, bus operators, food service providers, and sports equipment manufacturers may all face liability if their negligence results in injury.

Contact a Chicago School Negligence Attorney for a Free Consultation

If your child suffered injuries at school due to someone’s negligence, you need a skilled attorney to protect your family’s rights. The legal team at Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C. has extensive experience in holding negligent schools accountable, and we are prepared to fight for the compensation and justice your family deserves. Contact us today for your free consultation.