MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, SPECIAL EDUCATION
Assistive Technology - Insurance and Repairs
Who is responsible for assistive
technology that is lost, stolen or
damaged?
The school is responsible for ensuring the
safekeeping and insurance of assistive technology
and will contact the local ministry office if the item
needs extensive repair, maintenance or replacement.
Each school must have insurance cover to at least the
equivalent level of that provided by the Ministry of
Education’s ‘Risk Management Scheme for School
Contents’ policy.
This insurance policy covers all assistive technology
while it is being used for educational purposes at
school as well as off-site, in transit and at home (if
applicable)
The school will:


add the assistive technology item to the school’s
asset register
approve the use of the assistive technology at
home if applicable.
Schools are expected to make every possible effort to
ensure the assistive technology is stored safely and to
take responsibility for the day to day management of
the technology while allocated to the student (as per
the management plan).
Repair, replacement and insurance claims
The school is responsible for sourcing the cost of
replacement/repair of the Ministry of Education funded
assistive technology item.
1. If replacement/repair cost is more than insurance
excess, the school should:

make a claim with their insurance company

make a claim to the Ministry of Education
assistive technology for funding for the
Page 1 of 2 Version 3 Mar 2013
amount of the insurance excess less $100
(school payment) using the Replacement or
Repair Form.
2. If replacement/repair cost is less than the schools
insurance excess, the school should claim for full
replacement/repair cost less $100 (school
payment) from the ministry using the
Replacement or Repair Form
In all cases the team should create or review the
current Assistive Technology Management Plan.
Further loss or damage – more than two
replacements
In some cases, funding for replacements have been
requested a number of times by the same student.
The ministry’s assistive technology service will
allocate a maximum of two replacements of a single
item of assistive technology to any individual student.
If further replacements are necessary they will be the
responsibility of the school or family.
A letter outlining the policy will be sent to the school
and family at the time of the second replacement.
Very exceptional circumstances will be considered on
a case-by-case basis.
Use of the Replacement or Repair Form
Use the Replacement and Repair Form if a full
assessment and Ministry of Education assistive
technology application has been completed within the
last two years.
If the last full assessment was more than two years
ago a full assessment may be required. Please
contact your district assistive technology coordinator
for if you need any advice or help.
If the student’s circumstances change and an upgrade
or change to assistive technology is necessary then
complete a full application using the Application Form.
2
Insurance Process
In signing the Ministry of Education Application Form both school and parents/caregivers have accepted
responsibility in relation to the allocated assistive technology.
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School responsibilities
Parent/caregiver responsibilities
Ensuring the safekeeping and insurance of
specified assistive technology
Each school must have:

insurance cover to at least the equivalent level of
that provided by the Ministry of Education’s ‘Risk
Management Scheme for School Contents’ policy.
This policy covers all assistive technology while it is
being used for educational purposes, including offsite and in transit. The assistive technology is the
responsibility of the school and listed on their asset
register
Ensuring reasonable care of the specified
assistive technology when it is at home, and in
transit between home and school
If the assistive technology is going home, the parents
are responsible for following the agreed Assistive
Technology Management Plan (where applicable). The
Assistive Technology Management Plan outlines how
the assistive technology will be cared for in transit
between home and school and in the home.
The school may develop (in collaboration with the
parent/caregiver)

an Assistive Technology Management Plan to
outline how the technology will be cared for at
school, during transitions and in the home (if
applicable). A detailed Management Plan is common
in cases where there are risks that the equipment
may be damaged, stolen or lost.
When an insurance claim needs to be made for the replacement of allocated assistive technology
School Responsibility

Apply to the Ministry’s assistive technology team
to cover the gap between the $100 paid by the
school and the insurance cost/excess that
schools need to pay in making a claim to their
insurance company

Review the Assistive Technology Management
Plan
If you have any queries please contact the district assistive technology coordinator at your
local Ministry of Education office.
Page 2 of 2 Version 3 Mar 2013