A group of influential education organizations has stepped in to support a private prep school in its appeal against a former student, saying the case could have far-reaching negative effects on study abroad trips.
Cara Munn suffered brain damage after she contracted viral encephalitis in 2007 from a tick bite she received while on a school trip to China with the Hotchkiss School.
Last year, a Connecticut jury awarded Munn $41 million in damages, after agreeing with her family’s claims that the school had failed to take appropriate precautions and to get proper medical attention quickly enough.
The Hotchkiss School, a private boarding school in Lakeville, Conn., argued that the tick bite and the illness were so unlikely to occur that there was no way to prepare for or prevent them.
This week, 28 educational organizations, including big names such as the American Council on Education and the Association of American Universities, and several international education groups filed a court brief on behalf of the Hotchkiss School.
The brief argues that the district court’s decision could harm international education opportunities because it places such a high burden on the Hotchkiss School -- and by extension, other schools and colleges -- to be aware of any and every possible risk.
Read more at Inside Higher Ed: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/10/24/higher-ed-groups-caution-court-decision-could-discourage-study-abroad