Canfield Helps Schools Combat Harassment, Intimidation, and Bullying

    CINCINNATI, OH, March 28, 2012 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Canfield, a leading provider of insurance and management solutions, is partnering with SafeSchools to create safer learning environments for their insured districts throughout Washington State. Districts insured through Canfield will now have access to SafeSchools Alert, a new online incident reporting and tracking system that allows K-12 administrators to receive valuable safety tips from students, staff, and parents, 24/7/365.

Bullying and violence is at the forefront of concern for administrators nationwide, none more so than in the state of Washington. In 2010, the State Legislature expanded the existing Harassment, Intimidation, and Bullying (HIB) legislation to include cyberbullying. The revised law also stipulates that districts must designate a primary HIB contact person to receive all HIB Incident Report Forms. To help districts comply with these new mandates and to safeguard students, Canfield purchased SafeSchools Alert for their member districts, making them the first insurance provider to do so.

"Canfield is looking at how it can best serve its insured districts. Providing our system to school policyholders speaks to the commitment Canfield has made to school safety and we're honored to work with such an outstanding company," said Brian Taylor, President and Chief Executive Officer, SafeSchools.

Incident reporting and tracking in schools has traditionally been done through the use of anonymous tip lines. The SafeSchools Alert system revolutionizes this process by allowing tips to now be submitted and received four convenient ways, by phone, text, email, and website. Using the system, students, staff, and parents can confidentially submit safety concerns, including HIB incidents to their administration at any time, from any location. Every tip is immediately logged and routed to administrators, who can then investigate, track, and manage the issue to resolution using Alert's state-of-the-art management system.

Another key benefit that makes SafeSchools Alert especially valuable to Washington districts is that the system has been customized to include a sample Harassment, Intimidation, and Bullying Incident Report Form from the state that districts should use in their reporting process.

According to Jim Cherf, PCL/President, Canfield, "In an era when it seems as though harassment, intimidation, and bullying are at an all-time high amongst students, it is even more important that we all look for ways to help provide a safe environment for our children to learn in. At a time when education budgets are facing unrelenting stress, every employee at Canfield is proud to offer Safe Schools Alert to the districts we serve, in an effort to help further provide a safe learning environment."

The early response to SafeSchools Alert has been tremendous. The system was piloted in 8 states and has been adopted by districts in 14 states, with new customers signing up weekly. For an overview of the SafeSchools Alert system, please visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqUOhs0uXfQ.

About Canfield
As the program administrator and risk management partner for numerous insurance programs, Canfield provides the support needed to help clients save money and focus on the people they are committed to serve. Canfield offers a full range of services to a wide variety of organizations across many industries. Our team of professionals is focused on delivering exceptional service and real results to those we serve.

About SafeSchools
SafeSchools LLC, a subsidiary of Scenario Learning LLC, is the leading developer of safety and compliance solutions for the K-12 market, including online systems for staff training, incident reporting and tracking, and MSDS management. Located in Cincinnati, Ohio, the company received a District Administration Top 100 Products designation in 2010 and 2011 and currently serves more than 3,000 districts nationwide. For more information, visit www.safeschools.com.

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