Department of Tourism, Recreation, and Sport Management, University of Florida, Gainesville, USA.
Am J Prev Med. 2011 Oct;41(4):415-20. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2011.06.031.
In underserved communities, schools can provide the physical structure and facilities for informal and formal recreation as well as after-school, weekend, and summer programming. The importance of community access to schools is acknowledged by authoritative groups; however, fear of liability is believed to be a key barrier to community access.
The purpose of this study was to investigate perceptions of liability risk and associated issues among school administrators in underserved communities.
A national survey of school administrators in underserved communities (n=360, response rate of 21%) was conducted in 2009 and analyzed in 2010. Liability perceptions in the context of community access were assessed through descriptive statistics.
The majority of respondents (82.2%) indicated concern for liability should someone be injured on school property after hours while participating in a recreational activity. Among those that did not allow community access, 91% were somewhat to very concerned about liability and 86% believed that stronger legislation was needed to better protect schools from liability for after-hours recreational use. Among those who claimed familiarity with a state law that offered them limited liability protection, nearly three fourths were nevertheless concerned about liability.
Liability concerns are prevalent among this group of school administrators, particularly if they had been involved in prior litigation, and even if they indicated they were aware of laws that provide liability protection where use occurs after hours. Reducing these concerns will be important if schools are to become locations for recreational programs that promote physical activity outside of regular school hours.
在服务不足的社区，学校可以提供非正式和正式娱乐以及课后、周末和暑期项目的物理结构和设施。社区进入学校的重要性得到了权威组织的认可；然而，对责任的恐惧被认为是社区进入的一个关键障碍。
本研究旨在调查服务不足社区学校管理人员对责任风险的看法以及相关问题。
2009 年对服务不足社区的学校管理人员进行了一项全国性调查（n=360，回应率为 21%），并于 2010 年进行了分析。通过描述性统计评估了社区进入背景下的责任感知。
大多数受访者（82.2%）表示，如果有人在课后参加娱乐活动时在学校财产上受伤，他们会担心责任问题。在那些不允许社区进入的学校中，91%的人对责任问题有些担忧，86%的人认为需要更强有力的立法来更好地保护学校免受课外娱乐使用的责任。在那些声称熟悉为他们提供有限责任保护的州法律的人当中，近四分之三的人仍然担心责任问题。
责任问题在这群学校管理人员中很普遍，尤其是如果他们之前曾参与过诉讼，即使他们表示他们知道在课后使用时提供责任保护的法律。如果学校要成为促进课外体育活动的娱乐项目的场所，减少这些担忧将是很重要的。
