About

WHO
IS
CHARTERSAFE?

OUR MISSION

"CharterSAFE's mission is to provide our charter school members with a strong understanding of school hazards and approach to risk management.

We believe that a safe and secure learning environment allows members schools to focus its resources and attention toward empowering students through education.

To put it simply, we are a partner who is there for our members before, during, and after bad things happen."

"CharterSAFE has been a great partner to us for many years. You won't find a more comprehensive program or one that is more tailored to the needs of charter schools. Their risk management team is always available to answer our questions and provide sage advice."

Eric Barlow, STEM Prep, Los Angeles

“I am delighted about the incredible support we receive from the CharterSAFE HR Team. They are invaluable, supportive, and most importantly, I feel like I am never alone when facing difficult situations. Having a strong partner that is working with me side-by-side makes me feel very grateful and appreciative beyond anything else.”

Khouanesiva Rodriguez, Big Picture Educational Academy, Fresno

"As a director of an independent charter school, I find that CharterSAFE provides exceptional services. We have used CharterSAFE for over 6 years, and we find that the staff is friendly and helpful, responding immediately to our questions and needs. They are extremely competitive on their prices, and I would highly recommend CharterSAFE to any charter school administrator who wants insurance coverage for their school without any of the headaches!"

Roger Coy, Three Rivers Charter School, Northern California

"CharterSAFE is a trusted partner, providing our organization with subject matter expertise and excellent customer service. They help us manage risk, comply with insurance requirements, and save money!"

Samon Bravo-Karimi, Bright Star Schools, Los Angeles

“The guidance, expertise, and support of the JPA staff have allowed us to drastically reduce our exposure to the many risks associated with running public schools. Furthermore, their detailed efforts to help with our processes, procedures, employee handbooks and even some hiring decisions have significantly improved our risk management.”

Parker Hudnut, ICEF Public Schools, Los Angeles

OUR VALUES

Our organizational values drive the work of our team to best serve the needs of our member schools by:

Being accountable and taking ownership
Collaborating openly
Embracing growth mindset
Proceeding with heart
Channeling positivity into action

OUR FOCUS

Comprehensive, Charter School Specific Insurance Program: Our comprehensive insurance program is reviewed annually to ensure it adequately addresses trending innovations or losses in the charter school movement.
Member Services: Our risk management team actively seeks to educate and train our members on best practices for safety and risk management, including HR consulting, site inspections, contract reviews, waiver templates, and more.
Proactive Hands-On Claims Advocacy: Our claims team is at the table from the time a member notifies us of a possible claim through the creation of a litigation plan and budget and will attend mediations and hearings as a strong advocate for our charter school members.

CharterSAFE STATEMENT IN SOLIDARITY RESOURCES

May 26, 2021

In recognition and celebration of Asian American Heritage Month, we believe that educating the next generation is crucial in this fight for justice, and we thank our members for your frontline work in the battle against racial discrimination and internalization through healthy discourse and training. Here at CharterSAFE, we would like to continue to do our part as well to support your endeavors as a partner.

Now is the time to come together and build strong communities of trust, where we all feel safe, where all workers are treated with dignity and respect, where all children feel comfortable going to school. As Martin Luther King Jr said, "The time is always right to do what is right."

Three of CharterSAFE’s core values are (1) to proceed with heart to make decisions with integrity and care, (2) to be accountable to one another in providing realistic and timely resources and solutions, and (3) to channel positivity into action by pushing the work forward and building upon one another’s strength.

It is in this spirit that CharterSAFE would like to share the free resources listed below for those of our members and wider community grappling with what allyship means, how to gain deeper understanding of the racial issues in America, and what to do in support:

1-hr AAPI history documentary very helpful as an intro to what is missing in our history textbooks
Here is a link to an org that is collecting hate incidents since there are little to no other tracking mechanism
A nonprofit org with free resources
Bystander Intervention Training by Asian Americans Advancing justice

Ultimately, we recognize that violence against the Asian American community is part of a larger system of violence and racism against all communities of color, including Black, Hispanic, Indigenous, and immigrant communities. Therefore, CharterSAFE stands firm against those who perpetrate such actions and in solidarity with our AAPI communities.

In Solidarity,

The CharterSAFE Governance Committee

Yvette King-Berg, Board Vice-Chair and Chair of the Governance Committee
Walter Wallace, Board Chair
Kristin Dietz, Board Secretary
Parker Hudnut, Board Member
Thuy Wong, President & CEO

June 5, 2020

Humanity is humanity. We have to protect all humanity, and if any part of humanity is in peril, all of humanity is in peril. Right now in America black lives are needlessly and violently lost. Black lives, and black livelihoods, matter. From systemic racism to violent murders, it is our collective responsibility to demand justice and change. While this week has been a hard discourse for some, this is the daily reality for the African American community. Educating the next generation is crucial in this fight for justice, and we thank our members for your frontline work in the battle against racial discrimination, internalization, and discourse. Here at CharterSAFE, we would like to do our part as well to support your endeavors as a partner. Three of CharterSAFE’s core values are to:

Proceed with heart to make decisions with integrity and care;
Be accountable to one another in providing realistic and timely resources and solutions; and
Channel positivity into action by pushing the work forward and building upon one another’s strength.

It is in this spirit that CharterSAFE would like to provide the free resources listed below for those of our members and wider community grappling with what allyship means, how to gain deeper understanding of the racial issues in America, and what to do in support:

Angela Davis on intersectional anti-racism . The conversation starts about 20 minutes into the video
1619 by The New York Times
Code Switch by NPR
“Seeing White” Podcast – The full season focuses on the history of race and racism
Bystander Resources and Virtual Training
10 steps to non-optical allyship (via Mireille Harper)
Transform Allyship into Action: A Toolkit for Non-Black People (via Social Justice in Medicine Coalition at USC)
Watch, Read, Listen, Act , and Donate Resources
Campaign Zero – Reimagining intervention and accountability in policing through policy work
How to Protest Safely During a Pandemic
Navigating Political Talk at Work and How to Talk Politics at Work Without Alienating People from Harvard Business Review
5 Steps for Tackling Tough Conversations by Center for Creative Leadership

Additionally, Meg Palisoc, a prominent Los Angeles charter school leader collected a list of 10 K-12 resources on race, riots, equity, and trauma. The list is shared below:

Why Teaching Black Lives Matter Matters and other resources for grades K-12 by Teaching Tolerance
How to Make This Moment the Turning Point for Real Change by President Barack Obama
Lesson Plan on LA Race Riots for grades 9-12 in Education World
Talking About Race and Privilege: Lesson Plan for Middle and High School Students by the National Association of School Psychologists
First Encounters with Race and Racism: Teaching Ideas for Classroom Conversations in The New York Times
Three Equity-Focused Tools to Use at Home by New Schools Venture Fund
Emergency Lesson Plans for helping children cope with an emergent crisis by Pacific University
Race and Equity Resources by the American School Counselor Association
Trauma Sensitive Schools by the Trauma and Learning Policy Initiative
National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement which leads the Coalition to Support Grieving Students

And finally, if your school has an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) that can provide mental health resources, please remind staff of the program and provide contact information. If your school experienced property damage resulting from the violence in the last week, please file a claim on our website at www.chartersafe.org.

The CharterSAFE board and team would like to express our solidarity with the African American Community. We will work to be an active ally to the African American community and a partner to our members who are doing the hard work of educating our youth. Whether it is simply to ideate, creating a policy, or implementing a program, please do not hesitate to reach out to the CharterSAFE team if you need any support surrounding the safety of your school community.

In Solidarity,
The CharterSAFE Board Governance Committee, representing The CharterSAFE Board and Team

Signed:

Thuy Wong, President and CEO
Walter Wallace, Chairman of the Board
Irene Sumida, Vice-Chair of the Board
Yvette King-Berg, Board Member