Fresno Unified School District Negligence Lawyer
The Fresno Unified School District is home to more than 74,000 students from preschool to 12th grade. Enrolled students span 66 elementary schools, 15 middle schools, nine high schools, and 16 other types. The Fresno Unified School District had 11,162 employees as of February 2016 and is under the lead of Superintendent Michael E. Hanson. A seven-member board of education governs this district with the goal of transforming Fresno Unified into a high-performing district.
Facts and Information About Fresno Unified
California ranked second to last in 2015’s national ranking of economic well-being of children. With more than 86% of Fresno students living in poverty, Fresno Unified will need to work hard to achieve high performance status. Impoverished children have low or no access to books and often have to take care of their families instead of prioritizing their own education. They also have a higher rate of dropping out and are more likely to have developmental delays than children who aren’t impoverished.
Fresno Unified is a very diverse district. The majority of Fresno Unified students are Latino (67.7%). English learners make up 21.8% of students (16,180 students total). The second highest demographic is Asian students (11.4%), followed by white non-Hispanics (9.7%), and African Americans (8.7%). Between language barriers and living in poverty, Fresno children are in desperate need of solid steps toward improving student outcome.
The Fresno Unified Board of Education adopted several core beliefs to guide district actions in the future. To promote a community of acceptance and a safe learning environment, the board prioritized the value of diversity, collaborative adult relationships, and individual responsibility and participation.
With an annual operating budget of $801 million, Fresno Unified has to allot its resources carefully across all 106 schools to provide for student well-being and education. Unfortunately, schools cannot always guarantee student safety. The law obligates schools to ensure the reasonable care of students, yet preventable negligence still causes injuries and wrongful death of students every year.
Common Negligence Issues in Fresno
California’s restraint and seclusion laws for schools fall short of national expectations. No federal laws are in place to regulate child restraint and seclusion, and California’s state laws only say schools must notify parents of restraint/seclusion if the child has a disability. If a California school employee harms your child physically, mentally, or emotionally using restraint or seclusion tactics, seek a lawyer’s help immediately. Other common negligence issues in California school districts include:
- Sports- or accident-related brain and spinal injuries
- Defective playground equipment
- Lack of supervision
- Bus accidents
- Gym/physical education injuries
- Premises liability
- Children wandering off school campus
- Safety code violations
Hearing that your child was injured at school is devastating. Hearing the injury was 100% preventable is even worse. If any form of school district negligence caused the injury or wrongful death of your child, seek legal help right away.
Panish | Shea | Ravipudi LLP: Your Fresno School District Negligence Attorneys
Our friendly representatives sincerely hope we don’t hear from you regarding a child injury. Unfortunately, accidents happen. When someone else’s negligence causes the injury, our team can help you obtain compensation for damages. Whether your child was injured in a bus accident, playground incident, or by inappropriate restraining techniques, the lawyers at Panish | Shea | Ravipudi LLP can help.
Our Fresno lawyers dedicate their practice to protecting students from school district negligence. Every student should enjoy a safe environment on campus and arrive at school each day with the opportunity to succeed. If you need legal advice about a child injury at school or on a field trip, feel free to contact us anytime at (877) 800-1700. Our caring representatives are more than happy to discuss your case for free during an initial phone consultation.