The Arizona Supreme Court has set a new statewide precedent after ruling that schools are not responsible for keeping students safe when going to and from campus.
The case involved a student from the Phoenix Union High School District who was struck by a vehicle while jaywalking in front of the school in 2021.
The justices said that schools are liable for providing safe conditions when students are on campus — or when in custody or control over them. But in this case, there was no legal duty on the school’s part to protect the student from danger.
The district was aware that parents were dropping their children off at a dirt lot across the street from the school to avoid lines.
Chief Justice Ann Scott Timmer wrote that the student was not entering the school at the time of the accident, “he was traveling to a school entrance.” She said this is a distinction “with a meaningful difference.''
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