"Active shooter" insurance policies are being purchased by more schools as the possibility of mass shootings become a real threat, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Several such shootings already this year – you can rattle them off, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High, Forest High, Santa Fe High, Highland High – have prompted school administrators to increasingly seek out the coverage, also called "active-assailant" insurance.
The concept works as a type of gap cover, taking care of expenses such as death benefits and funeral costs that are not necessarily covered under general liability.
A couple of years ago this may not have been a real consideration, but since 2009 the U.S. has experienced at least 288 school shootings, CNN reported, though not all them mass shootings.
When a mass shooting occurs, assorted costs not immediately obvious are incurred, such as counselling services, added security and crisis management.
As one school official told the Journal, "active shooter" insurance policies offer some peace of mind.
"In the event of horrible tragedy, we can begin to put things in place,” said Lance Erlwein, treasurer of Belpre City Schools in southeastern Ohio. "Fifteen years ago, who would have ever thought you would need something like this? It’s awful that schools have become the target."
The Journal recently conducted a review to determine how many people have been killed in school shootings since 1990 and established that the lives of at least 150 children and adults have been lost.
Paul Marshall of Ohio-based insurance underwriter, McGowan Program Administrators, told WFMY that mass shootings caused "a great amount of pain and suffering and financial loss," which is why school districts considered the insurance policy.
"If the tragic event does occur at their school, then they’ll have a response plan," he said. "Similar to a hurricane hitting South Florida, the insurance carriers are there to help put the community back together as best as possible."
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