Coaches and physical education teachers are also responsible for maintaining their equipment. In addition, they should insure that any safety equipment, e.g. football helmets, are in good working order and fit the students properly. The equipment should be inspected regularly, and the inspections should be documented. Students should never be allowed to use defective or dangerously worn equipment. Not only can a school and its teachers be liable for injuries occurring on the school property, they may also be responsible when a student is injured away from the school premises.
Teachers can observe several precautionary steps when taking students on field trips.
They should inspect the site to be visited by the student to judge its safety before they take the students. There certainly should be enough teachers and aides making the trip to provide adequate supervision. The age and maturity of the students should be considered when determining how many adult supervisors are needed. Specitic instructions on what to do and what not to do on the trip should be given to the supervisors as well as the students. Release forms should be obtained from the parents of each student.