Tort Negligence Liability For Teachers In Georgia
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The most common kind of tort that occurs in the public school context is negligence. More specifically, the most common kind of tort claim brought against schools seeks recovery of damages for personal injuries. Preventing injury is not only an ethical responsibility, but also a legal obligation.
For example, failure to supervise the activities of young children during recess may prove to violate the standard of reasonable care. Should an injury occur that could have been prevented if a teacher were present to stop whatever activity lead to the injury, liability could exist against the teacher.
Teachers can be found liable if they have breached their duty of care. Teachers are negligent if they fail to act as a hypothetical reasonably prudent teacher (RPT) should act under the circumstances.
The four main types of negligence include: Comparative Negligence. In many cases, both parties can be found partially at fault in an incident. Contributory Negligence. Gross Negligence: This is an egregious, reckless form of negligence that disregards the safety and well-being of others. Vicarious Negligence.
To show that negligence occurred, you have to prove four elements: duty, breach, causation, and damages. In order to prove that the teacher was negligent, all four elements of negligence must be shown. Failure to prove even one element is fatal to a personal injury lawsuit.
The tort liability of teacher qua teacher encompasses a rather narrow ambit and is largely restricted to cases in which it is alleged that the right of the teacher to enforce discipline has been abused and that the teacher is therefore liable in damages for the commission of an intentional tort.
For example, failure to supervise the activities of young children during recess may prove to violate the standard of reasonable care. Should an injury occur that could have been prevented if a teacher were present to stop whatever activity lead to the injury, liability could exist against the teacher.
Tort liability is predicated on the existence of proximate cause, which consists of both: (1) causation in fact, and (2) foreseeability. A plaintiff must prove that his or her injuries were the actual or factual result of the defendant's actions.
These legal elements include a professional duty owed to a patient, breach of duty, proximate cause or causal con- nection elicited by a breach of duty, and resulting in- juries or damages suffered. 1 These 4 elements apply to all cases of negligence regardless of specialty or clin- ician level.
No person can be held liable in tort unless the act or omission with which he or she is charged was a breach of a duty owing by that person to the plaintiff or to a class to which the plaintiff belongs, and the plaintiff has suffered individual damage therefrom.