Insurance & Safety Issues in K-5 Makerspaces

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Michael Hyde

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Oct 30, 2016, 6:00:10 PM10/30/16

to K-12 Fab Labs and Makerspaces

Hi all,

I'm working with a public school in Washington State who are opening a K-5 makerspace. Their district insurance pool risk management staff looked at the space and tools and consulted their state school safety center. The safety center recommended that the only tools that are appropriate for K-5 students to use are wood glue, sandpaper with a wood block, small rubber mallets, paint brushes, pre-cut wood shapes with pre-drilled holes for wooden dowels, and sewing machines for grades 4 and 5 with close, one-on-one supervision. There is a huge difference between K and 5th grade - but word from the insurance and state-level school safety organizations seems to be a blanket "no" across all these grades for tools such as hot glue guns, hammers, power drills, saws, soldering irons, etc. Obviously, this dramatically limits their vision for their makerspace. Have any other public schools or districts out there re-negotiated their insurance policies based on the addition of a makerspace or fablab to their schools?, or divided K-5 spaces into K-2 and 3-5? Any experiences you can share about insurance issues is greatly appreciated!

Best,

Michael

STEAM and Maker Integrator, Portland Jewish Academy

Senior Education Designer, Tinker Camp

@edtechteaching

Maureen Reilly

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Nov 6, 2016, 7:18:15 PM11/6/16

to k-12-f...@googlegroups.com

I cannot speak for my school insurance experience, but when insuring my summer camp in New York City that takes on a lot of risk (making and traveling and recreation in city parks), I reached out to my school family community and found a friendly insurance broker who was able to customize a policy for our needs.

You may consider reaching out to your family community for a friendly broker who could estimate carrying an extra policy for the Maker Space that meets the needs of the activities you wish to host there. As for covering costs in a public school... I would reach out to the parent body as well for assistance.

Another option is to contact an after school or summer Maker program in your area and find out who their insurance carrier is.

Good luck!

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