High school teachers are being bombarded continually with prophecies of doom and gloom: asbestos in the schools should be removed, drug abuse is on the rise, and standardized test scores continue to decline. In all those negative reports one stone remains unturned: insuring the safety of students in school science labs. Each year over 5,000 accidents occur in school science labs, and the number is likely to increase (7). Many schools are sitting on a ticking time bomb because of antiquated equipment, poor facilities, and unknowledgeable educators that add up to potentially fatal accidents (2). Safety in the school is the responsibility of the building level administrator, school board members, district-level administrators, students, and, probably most of all, teachers. All also should be made aware of their responsibility and potential liability in this problem. Legal ImplicationsNow, more than ever, there is a critical need for school systems to be aware of their legal responsibilities relative to high school science laboratories (3). In recent years, li-

Administrators may be held liable for accidents that occur in the science classroom or laboratory. They may take some simple steps to ensure a safer environment and avoid possible injury and resultant litigation.

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