As private colleges and universities set plans to reopen amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the head of a statewide association is raising concerns about liability protections and virus testing costs.

Whether institutions can be held liable for students, faculty and staff members getting sick on campus is a top concern for school leaders as they gear up to reopen campuses for the fall term.

"The way I look at it is professors and our campuses are front-line workers because we're bringing in a lot of students from around the country and there's going to be some positive tests," said Bob Boyd, president of the Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida, which represents schools throughout the state. "We cannot survive an avalanche of lawsuits for liability if someone gets sick on campus."