Playing Smart changelabsolutions.org | kaboom.org 62 Meanwhile, the Paradise City Department of Parks and Recreation (Parks and Rec) is concerned about managing the demand for increased recreational facilities and programming. Parks and Rec just renovated the Plunge, a swim facility for the community. Aside from this, the City’s parks have poor infrastructure and are a magnet for drug activity; families avoid them. Parks and Rec doesn’t have the money for new construction or renovation, but it does have some funding set aside for facilities management. Parks and Rec is interested in partnering with Fit to Play, a nonprofit that offers recreational programming for youth. Fit to Play has approached Parks and Rec for ideas, because while the nonprofit has the staff to run programs in Paradise City, it lacks both indoor and outdoor space. The three groups – the school district, Parks and Rec, and Fit to Play – want to collaborate to find solutions for each of their respective deficits and bring new recreational opportunities to Paradise City, where 37 percent of youth are overweight or obese. Insurance, indemnity, and risk management practices are tools that can help the partners in Paradise City reach an agreement that works for everyone. Insurance Insurance is a contract by which one party (the insurer) agrees to protect another party (the insured) against the risk of loss, damage, or liability arising from some specified contingency, such as a lawsuit. The insured pays a premium to the insurer, who in return agrees to cover the cost in the event that the contingency occurs. While state laws vary on the type of insurance school districts may or must carry, most school districts insure themselves against liability. Insurance policies can protect schools during the school day or after school and also can protect employees of the school from liability. Most school districts have a risk manager (or someone filling that function) who will know about the school’s insurance. Advocates should figure out who that person is in the district and ask him or her whether the school’s insurance covers after-hours use or can be extended to do so. If the school wishes to engage in joint use with another organization – a city, a nonprofit, or a public agency – the partner may have insurance as well. In that case, the parties can decide whose insurance coverage is best positioned to cover the costs, such as property damage or an injury, associated with the proposed joint use activities. If a party makes a claim under its insurance policy, its premiums may go up. Covering Partners Nonprofits or other joint use partners can sometimes be added as an additional insured on a school’s (or other primary party’s) insurance. This is sometimes called being endorsed onto the insurance agreement or buying a rider to the insurance agreement. The school district’s risk manager should know whether this is an option and can find out what it would cost.
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