A liability issue may prevent Los Angeles Unified School District students from going on field trips to L.A. County parks this year.
The county Department of Parks and Recreation is asking school boards to accept legal risks and provide liability insurance for students visiting their facilities, including pools, nature centers, and athletic fields, according to the L.A. Times. Around 40 districts have agreed to this request, but LAUSD hasn’t.
LAUSD and L.A. County previously sparred in court for eight years over the drowning of a 16-year-old at a school-sponsored event in 2014. Ultimately, LAUSD wasn’t found liable because of “field trip immunity,” a California law shielding school districts from responsibility for injuries or deaths that occur on field trips.
Instead, the county paid $2.1 million to settle a claim with the victim’s family. According to the L.A. Times, the parks department made changes to its permitting process to avoid future liability issues.
If the school district and parks department can’t come to an agreement, field trips for LAUSD students may be limited to city and state parks, which generally don’t require liability insurance.
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