Keenan Develops Strategic Alliance With SAFER and i-SAFE to Assist School Districts in Addressing Internet Safety Education and E-Rate Compliance

TORRANCE, Calif., Aug. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Keenan & Associates, the largest privately held insurance brokerage and consulting firm in California, has announced a strategic alliance with the Schools Association for Excess Risk (SAFER) joint powers authority and i-SAFE Inc., a leading non-profit e-safety education programming and publishing company, to provide school districts with resources to meet the latest Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) and E-Rate Internet safety policy and educational requirements.

SAFER members now have access to world-class E-Rate Internet safety curriculum and programming, enabling teachers to educate K-12 students about appropriate online behavior, including interactions with other individuals on social networking websites and in chat rooms as well as cyber-bullying awareness and response.  This research-based, best practices approach to e-safety curriculum and programming is designed to increase the technological sophistication and online safety of students.

Dr. Thomas Fallo, President of SAFER, said, "The Internet is changing the environment in our schools.  While it can be a wonderful resource, it can also jeopardize the safety of students.  We are pleased to provide information our members can use to help teachers, parents and students ensure a secure learning experience."

The addition of i-SAFE to SAFER's portfolio of resources now saves schools and districts the annual costs of developing or purchasing e-safety curriculum in order to certify, when applying for E-Rate discounts, that they meet CIPA Internet safety policy and education requirements.  This SAFER resource is a value-added dimension to the overall efforts to minimize both cost of operations and exposure to risk.

Greg Magnuson, Superintendent of the Buena Park School District said, "Given the growing social media risk, it's great to have tools like this to keep our students safe in this online and mobile world."

For information on Keenan insurance brokerage and consulting programs, visit www.keenan.com.

About SAFER

The Schools Association For Excess Risk Joint Powers Authority (SAFER) program was established in 2002 to meet the needs of California K-12 schools and community college districts.  SAFER provides comprehensive coverage, offers competitive rates through a combined program approach, and provides financial security through prudent rate structures, with flexibility to pursue the most expeditious funding alternatives on behalf of its members in light of changing market conditions.  Its membership represents 517 California school and college districts, and it continues to attract new members due to its constant innovation with respect to school and community college coverage needs.  For more information about SAFER, visit www.saferjpa.org.

About Keenan

Founded in 1972, Keenan is the 14th largest insurance consulting and brokerage firm in the United States and the largest independent broker in California.  Keenan is dedicated to providing superior insurance products and services to health care organizations, schools, community colleges and municipalities for employee benefits, third-party claims administration, workers' compensation, integrated disability, risk management, and property and liability.  With headquarters in Torrance, CA, Keenan has a staff of more than 650 insurance specialists and branch offices in Riverside, San Clemente, Westlake Village, Oakland, San Jose, Rancho Cordova, Redwood City, Pleasanton and Eureka.  For more information, call 800-654-8102 or 310-212-3344, email [email protected], or visit www.keenan.com.

SOURCE Keenan & Associates