Sexual Abuse and Molestation Coverage

As a commercial insurance agency based in Tempe, Arizona; we have a lot of experience insuring children’s swim schools, as well as a variety of other health and fitness facilities on a national scale. At the very core of our agency’s belief and mission, we want to provide other business-owners information that is key to protecting not only the assets of their business, but protecting the children and families that they serve on a daily basis.

One of the key coverages that is arguably the most important coverage for a children’s swim school; aside from general liability, is Sexual Abuse and Molestation coverage.

Within the business model of a swim school, and especially a children’s swim school, there is a high exposure to the risk of sexual abuse; which means having the proper coverage in place is essential. Because of this high risk of exposure to sexual abuse, there are essentially two parties that are at risk, and it is critical to make sure these parties are properly covered.

The first party would be anyone working for or through the swim school. This could be officers, owners, directors, employees, or volunteers– anyone directly working on behalf of the swim school. If a sexual abuse or molestation claim were to arise, often the claim will result in a he-said-she-said allegation, and investigation and legal proceedings can be costly. Ensuring that you have the proper coverage in place will reduce the out of pocket cost of a costly and lengthy sexual abuse trial, and with partnerships that our agency has developed with insurance carriers that specialize in Swim Schools, you can rest assured that we have tools and resources that are available to train owners and employees to take a proactive approach to providing your students a safe and effective swim education program.

The other party that is directly affected by sexual abuse allegations are the students themselves. Due to the potentially high-turnover ratio of employees, it is impossible to hire perfect employees 100% of the time, and in the event of a sexual abuse claim, it is important to react fast and get your students the professional help they need as soon as possible.

A common misconception that we hear from new clients is that they were informed by their previous insurance agent that having a small Sexual Abuse policy (Typically around $25,000-50,000) will provide ample coverage because a lawsuit will simply settle for the maximum limits imposed by the insurance policy. Considering how costly attorneys and defense fees can be, this is a flawed way of thinking and will leave one drastically uninsured in the event of a claim, especially if more than one individual was involved. Raising Sexual Abuse and Molestation coverage limits to $1,000,000 typically costs less than $200 extra per year and will further protect your business and the children that you teach in the event of a catastrophe.

Reach out to our agency to have one of our insurance professionals take a comprehensive look at your current commercial insurance policy to make sure you are properly covered.