Member Update

Jan. 3, 2022

All of us at United Educators (UE) look forward to partnering with you in 2022 and beyond. Watch this brief message from UE’s President and CEO Janice Abraham as we kick off our 35th Anniversary year.

Dec. 3, 2021

Thank you for partnering with us to address the challenges our schools and campuses face. As a member and an owner of United Educators (UE), your input is essential to our shared endeavor. We are grateful for campus leaders on our Risk Management Advisory Committee (RMAC) who regularly advise us on challenges facing education and all those who contributed their views in this year’s Top Risks Reports for K-12 and higher education, and our diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) survey. Your input helps UE in anticipating emerging risks and informs the risk management programming we provide as a benefit of membership.

While top risks reflect differences across our membership, topics that consistently rise to the top include enrollment, COVID-19 and future pandemics, data security, facilities and operational pressures, sexual and employee misconduct, student health and safety, funding, and regulatory compliance (including Title IX). We want to assure you that UE experts are continuously developing resources to address liability risks and support your enterprise risk management (ERM) efforts.

You can draw upon our deep library of resources as well as risk advisors to help plan your risk management efforts. Contact us at risk@ue.org if there’s anything we can do to help with your ERM planning for 2022.

I also want to update you on UE’s Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity Alliance (IDEA), an internal working group established in 2020 to embed increased awareness of and sensitivity to DEI into our operations and culture. UE’s executive leaders are actively involved and support the work of a cross-functional team of staff drawn from across UE’s operations. Some recent milestones include company-wide unconscious bias training to foster a culture of belonging, launching our Defense Counsel Development Program to grow a more diverse panel of legal experts to best fit the needs of resolving claims, and reconstituting the RMAC to better reflect the diversity of our membership.

We look forward to your continued engagement and input. Thank you again for partnering with us to help keep our educational communities safe.

Best,

Constance Neary
Vice President for Risk Management

Sept. 13, 2021

While September marks the traditional Back to School season, 2021 continues to bring new twists to life on our campuses. At United Educators (UE), we are not only tracking the impact of the delta variant of COVID-19, but we are tracking broader risk issues for the education community.

Mental health is a growing concern for individuals and for campuses of every size and type. Research findings from The Hechinger Report on depression and anxiety signal that the pandemic’s toll is steep. 

As many of us return to campus after a long hiatus the potential for “roaring 20s” excesses abound. We know that alcohol is a contributing factor in many types of UE claims, such as Greek activities, student sexual assault, hazing, and study abroad. A recent UE Risk Management Insights blog gives practical tips for limiting the influence of alcohol in student claims.

Sadly, student opioid overdoses are also on the rise. As more overdoses occur in K-12 classrooms, organizations like the National Association of School Nurses (NASN) are encouraging schools and districts to include naloxone nasal spray in their opioid overdose response. You can learn more from UE’s Risk Management experts about how to respond to student opioid overdoses.

We are mindful of these ongoing challenges as well as the recent damages from Hurricane Ida impacting our members and brokers in Louisiana, Mississippi, and up the East Coast, as well as the wildfires in the west. Our team here at UE is committed to helping all our members maintain a safe environment so your educational communities can thrive. Let me know if there’s anything more we can do to support you as we mark the return to school in both traditional and innovative ways.

Best,

Janice M. Abraham
President and CEO