Educator Liability Insurance and Legal Protection
Members of the Arkansas State Teachers Association (ASTA) each enjoy the comfort and protection of strong professional liability insurance and legal protection. ASTA is the state chapter of the Association of American Educators (AAE). All ASTA members are members of the Association of American Educators (AAE), and are covered under the AAE insurance policy. Each individual member is covered and receives an insurance certificate of ownership upon joining ASTA. ASTA member insurance is administered by the Forrest T. Jones Company through the Trust for Insuring Educators (TIE).
Policy Overview
Not all policies are alike and the AAE policy has some extra protection that other organizations don't offer. The AAE policy offers $2,000,000 of protection per occurrence, per member. Defense costs are paid in addition to this amount!
Another great benefit of AAE insurance is that every ASTA member receives his or her own personal liability insurance certificate. Benefits are activated at the member’s discretion and at the member’s request.
Accessing AAE's legal service benefits is never dependent on the discretion and pre-approval of an AAE executive or ASTA board member. Access to your legal protection is not dependent upon whether or not your case is determined to be in the best interest of AAE or ASTA, as it is with some other organizations. As an ASTA member, you have guaranteed and immediate legal counsel at the onset of workplace issues. No other organization can make that promise.
YOU are the insured party.
On liability insurance-related matters, ASTA members are free to use AAE’s attorney referral network or they may prefer to seek out legal representation of their own choosing instead of having to accept a predetermined legal advisor - as with some other organizations.
Please note…
AAE's network of attorneys bill our insurance provider directly — not you, the individual educator — for services covered under AAE's plan …except in instances when you choose to use your own attorney. In those cases, your attorney will be reimbursed for services rendered up to the limits specified in the policy.
Who's Covered?
All members of the Arkansas State Teachers Association who are W-2 employees of an educational entity (i.e. public K-12 elementary school, secondary school, or district office) are covered under this policy. Below are some commonly asked questions about our $2,000,000 liability insurance policy:
Q. What's covered under this policy?
A. You will be protected against a broad range of exposures including the following allegations:
Q. What kinds of things are not covered by this policy?
A. Criminal acts for which you are found guilty. Activities not arising out of your educational activities. Intentionally inflicting bodily injury (except corporal punishment).
Q. Am I covered for lawsuits based on sexual harassment or abuse?
A. The policy provides up to $50,000 to reimburse your attorney's fees, provided you are found to be not guilty or the charges are dropped.
Q. What about legal help if I'm suspended?
A. The plan will pay up to $500 for your initial consultation with an attorney, and it will pay another $750 of the cost of having an attorney represent you at a formal hearing of a school board or other authority if you are threatened with termination, suspension, reassignment, or demotion. In addition, you will receive up to $4000 for legal fees, subject to $100 deductible, if you decide to sue because of termination, reassignment, suspension, or demotion. However, that final judgment must be rendered in your favor. If not, your policy will still pay $750 for reimbursement of legal fees without regard to final judgment. If the above coverage doesn't sound like much, remember that those amounts are guaranteed.
Other organizations' plans may promise you greater coverage amounts in job protection benefits, but they can decide whether you receive coverage. It is well known in the industry that some organizations only choose to represent their members in cases that advance the organization's goals, and only if they think the case is winnable. Their insurance and legal protection may look good, but if they don't take your case, it's worthless.
With AAE’s insurance plan you know that you have up to $5,000 in job protection benefits. And you would be surprised how many job-related conflicts are resolved with just a couple of phone calls from AAE or your attorney.
Forrest T. Jones & Company, Inc. has over thirty years experience in handling association insurance needs and are the administrators of the Trust for Insuring Educators (TIE). TIE was established in June 1973 specifically for educator groups leaving the umbrella of the educator labor unions. Those groups found it was difficult to secure insurance plans for their members that were equal in benefit and cost to those of the unions because they lacked large numbers of members and consequently the buying power that the unions had in setting up their programs. TIE made it possible for member organizations to pool their memberships to create a large enough base to secure competitive insurance plans and rates. Presently, there are over sixty national associations comprising TIE.For additional information, visit AAE's pages for Optional Insurance Coverages, or contact Forrest T. Jones & Company, Inc. directly by calling (800) 265-9366, E-mail: info@ftj.com, or visit their web-site at www.ftj.com.
AAE’s Legal Assistance Hotline: Toll-free (800) 704-7799