Educators have no greater responsibility than safeguarding the children with whom they work. Ohio University welcomes minors to campus for many activities including summer camps, educational programs, athletic camps, events, etc. This web page is a source of information for both parents and program employees/volunteers.
Policy
The Minors on Campus Policy ( #03.010) establishes requirements for those in the university community who work in activities and programs with minors, with the goal of promoting the safety and well-being of minors. Non-university affiliated program requirements will be outlined in a university agreement (contract) with each respective program pursuant to operational guidelines.
Program Employees/Volunteers
Program Registration
All programs must complete a Program Registration annually at least two months before the program start date.
Training
All authorized adults who will be working with minors (including OHIO employees, students, student athletes, and volunteers) must complete annualmandatory training prior to the commencement of the program. The two required training courses are: 1. Protecting Children: Identifying and Reporting Sexual Misconduct and 2. Protecting Children: Shine a Light video. Access the training courses .
Training for Hiring Staff Who Work With Minors
All authorized adults who will be part of the hiring process for program staff must also complete the two training courses above and Protecting Children: Hiring Staff Who Work With Minors. Access the training courses if you are part of the hiring staff
.
It is each program director’sresponsibility to collect certificates of completion from everyone required to undergo training prior to the program commencement.
New Users
New users will need to use Branch Code: 316-88563when setting up their account for the first time.
Need Help?
Read United Educators knowledge base articles or contact support at 877-209-2236. All other questions should be directed to insurance@ohio.edu .
Forms
- Application & Emergency Contact Information [PDF] – this form must be completed for every participant. The program can include additional information, i.e. t-shirt size, school, grade, etc. but they must include the information that is on this form.
- Volunteer Agreement and Release [PDF] – the program director must ensure that all volunteers for programs complete and execute this form. Note that the director must also sign off that the services that will be performed by the volunteer cannot be filled by an Ohio University employee. Consult your HR representative with questions about whether you are allowed to use volunteers to perform particular services. If you have guest speakers or visitors to a program that will be present for a short time and will not have care, custody or control of any minors, they do not need to do volunteer paperwork or get a background check.
- Photo and Film Waiver [PDF] – if the program will record anything via photo, video, etc., or plans to post pictures or videos on social media, then this form needs to be completed by all participants. This form also works for programs where the student is creating photos, videos, etc. and the program may want to use those for marketing, to display, etc.
- Staff/Volunteer Tracking Form [XLSX] - After registering your program, this tracking form shall be completed with the names of all authorized adults working directly with minors and returned to the Office of Risk Management prior to the program start date. This will assist in verifying all background checks have been provided under this policy prior to the program start date.
- In-Person Program Staff Code of Conduct [PDF]
- Virtual Program Staff Code of Conduct [PDF]
- Virtual Program Participant Code of Conduct [PDF]
Medical
- All program directors and applicable counselors/staff must review each Participant’s Medical Information and Administration of Medication Packet prior to camp and be prepared to accommodate the minors and store medications properly.
- Medical Information and Administration of Medication Packet (Word Doc) - all participants must have this packet completed prior to attending a program.
Releases for Recreational Programs
- Release for University Sponsored Recreational Program for Minors on Campus Day Only [DOCX] – all participants for recreational day programs must have this form completed prior to attending.
- Release for University Sponsored Recreational Program for Minors on Campus Overnight [DOCX] – all participants for recreational overnight programs must have this form completed prior to attending.
Releases for Educational Programs
- Release for University Sponsored Educational Program for Minors on Campus Day Only [DOCX] – all participants for educational day programs must have this form completed prior to attending.
- Release for University Sponsored Educational Program for Minors on Campus Overnight [DOCX] – all participants for educational overnight programs must have this form completed prior to attending.
Release for Virtual Programs
- Release for University Sponsored Virtual Program for Minors on Campus [PDF] – all participants for virtual programs must have this form completed prior to attending.
Release Third Party Programs
- Release for Third Party Sponsored Programs for Minors on Campus [DOCX] – when a third party is operating a camp on an OHIO campus, all participants must have this release signed. The responsibility to collect these prior to the minor participating is on the sponsoring department/unit/college.
Background Checks
A background check(s) must be conducted on all university faculty, staff, appointees, students, student employees, graduate assistants, and volunteers working for programs for minors (individuals under the age of 18 or under 21 years old if incapable of self-care because of a mental or physical disability).
Emergency Information
- View emergency alerts and sign up to receive alerts at the Alert OHIO web page .
- Each program must work with Emergency Programs Manager Jill Harris on emergency plans. Contact Jill Harris at harrisj4@ohio.edu or 740-593-9532.
- Every camp counselor/director must have a roster with him/her at all times that contains each participant's name and emergency contact information.
- Every program director must have an electronic list (email or text) set up in advance of camp with emergency contacts of the minors.
- For each program, let the parents know what the mode of emergency communication will be.
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All programs must also provide an emergency contact list to Nikki Ohms , Assistant Director of Conference Services, in conjunction with any other information required, as applicable
Record Retention
After the program is over, the program director must follow the records retention instructions .
Incident Report
If there is an incident or injury involving non-employees (program participants, visitors to campus, or students), a Non-Employee Incident Report [PDF] must be filled out by an Ohio University employee and submitted to Larry Wines .
Supervision Ratios
Ohio University programs and third party programs operating on an Ohio University campus must meet or exceed the applicable ratio of staff to program participants as recommended by the American Camp Association:
| Age of Participants | Staff-to-Participant Ratio for Overnight Program |
Staff-to-Participant Ratio for Day Programs |
|---|---|---|
|
4-5
|
1:5 | 1:6 |
|
6-8
|
1:6 | 1:8 |
|
9-14
|
1:8 | 1:10 |
|
15-17
|
1:10 | 1:12 |