I think it is. I think people used to be less litigious, so schools had less to worry about. The law was certainly less complex, providing less potential risk than it does.

Additionally, I'd be willing to bet school districts have dedicated legal departments, or lawyers on retainer these days and I'd bet that's a recent change.

I think this is mostly a media driven perception that lawsuits have been increasing when in fact the trend is that tort awards and causes of action have been restricted. If you’re a school administrator wanting more control its easy to say “lawsuits” but I bet these people are not doing research on lawsuits for students leaving campus in their jurisdiction.