Our elementary school PTO hosts a Fall Carnival every year. We have what we call a Midway which includes several inflatables. We got lucky this year when a new parent joined who owns a party rental company and provided the inflatables at a reduced cost. We sell Midway braclets for unlimited fun. The midway makes up about half of our profit. The rest of the carnival is made up with concessions and games for prizes. Due to budget constraints, our school board has recently stipulated that inflatables will no longer be allowed at school functions because of potential law suits and their inability to afford such. Does anyone have any ideas we could use to replace our midway? We are panicked! This event is a huge part of our yearly budget.

Hi etp -

Have you looked into getting your own insurance for this and perhaps having district named as additional insured?

Forgetting if inflatables covered, but info = PTO/PTA Insurance Designed Exclusively for Parent Groups | PTO Today

Tim

Tim

Thank you for your reply. We do have our own insurance, but because we hold our Carnival on school grounds, they are afraid they would be included in any lawsuit.

Then there is no time like the present to ask to met with the Board to show they and have ready copies of all the information you know.

Our school built a Event Center a few years ago and to avoid lawsuit situations, we ask everyone that rents the Event Center from us to sign a waiver. Otherwise our BASE program rents inflatables every spring, yes they do manage through bumps and bruises but there too, they may hav ethe parents sign a waiver.

Is that parent still at your school to offer some insight and maybe how his coverage works, just so everyone is on the same page.

Hi-
The folks at St. Philip the Apostle School in Pasadena, California had some great carnival ideas. Check out this article -- PTO Today Articles.

Best of Luck,
Lisa

You have to also check your state laws. In some states inflatables are considered carnival rides and need to be inspected by the state every year, they then get a sticker to state they have passed. Getting your own insurance is a great idea, but please look into your state laws. I would hate for you to have an issue and then find out the games were not up to par if you will. That could cause your insurance to not have to pay. Do your research and make sure you are covered. If you would like information on a ooops with this send me a quick note, and I will fill you in on what happened at a district I read about on the internet