Minors on Campus

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.

• Minors on Campus Process Overview
• Minors on Campus 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. Click here to 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. Click here to 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) as follows:

1. Any faculty, staff, appointee, student, student employee, graduate assistant, or volunteer working with a program(s), who is likely to have responsibility for the care, custody, or control of a minor as part of a program (“individual required to be background checked”), must have a Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation fingerprint background check (“BCI check”) completed before the program begins.
2. An individual required to be background checked who has not lived in Ohio within the previous five years must have both a BCI check and a Federal Bureau of Investigation Background Check (“FBI check”).
3. Where required by law or where the individual is required to be background checked is engaged at a facility or as part of a program that involves the use of showering, changing or sleeping facilities, the individual must have both a BCI check and an FBI check.
4. Individuals required to be background checked that have a break in service for less than 12 months must disclose on the human resources Arrest or Conviction Self-Disclosure Form [WORD] any arrests or convictions that occurred during the break prior to rehire. If a break in service is longer than 12 months, individuals required to be background checked must have a new BCI check prior to rehire and an FBI check must also be completed prior to rehire if the individual required to be background checked lived in a state other than Ohio during the break in service.
5. A BCI check must be completed every four years to remain eligible to work with programs.
   - All individuals required to be background checked must accurately disclose on the human resources Arrest or Conviction Self-Disclosure Form [WORD] any arrests, felony convictions, misdemeanor convictions, or pleas of guilty of no contest (nolo contendere) that occur after hire or after being accepted as a volunteer within three days of the arrest or conviction.
   - Failure of an individual to disclose will be grounds for discipline up to and including termination.

6. All individuals required to be background checked must also be checked against the national sex offender registry annually. University Human Resources will perform these checks for faculty and staff.

   To request a National Sex Offender Registry Check for a student employee, please email the following information to uhr@ohio.edu :

   * "I am requesting a National Sex Offender Registry Check”
   * Name of employee to be checked
   * Email of employee to be checked
   * A valid university account number for billing (each check is currently $6.05)
   

7. Parental consent must be given for the background check(s) in the case of an individual under the age of 18 requiring a check.
8. A third party vendor background check, including those required at the time of hire for university employees, is insufficient for individuals requiring a background check.
9. Units or programs may require background checks on broader categories of individuals than just those who are likely to have responsibility for the care, custody, or control of a minor as part of a program provided there is a business or risk justification, that checks are made consistently across specific positions and the documented background check program has been approved by university human resources.
10. Units must perform background checks on individuals as required by law. Background checks must be completed and reviewed by the Office of Risk Management before any individual required to be background checked can be hired or otherwise selected by the unit.
11. Offenses that will disqualify an individual from working with a program include those listed on the human resources Arrest or Conviction Self-Disclosure Form [WORD] or a violation of an existing or former law of this state, any other state, or the United States that is substantially equivalent to any of the offenses listed.
12. If the university denies an individual required to be background checked a position based on BCI check or FBI check results, university human resources will follow proper protocols to provide notice to the subject of the background check.

Steps to obtain a background check:

1. At Ohio University, Bobcat Depot offers background checks. Find more information on the Bobcat Depot website . For those who are not on the Athens Campus, find your location at Webcheck® Locations .
2. Send an email to your program faculty, staff, appointees, students, student employees, graduate assistants, and volunteers and include:

• The account number to bill the BCI and/or FBI checks to;
• Write Ohio Revised Code Section 5104.013 into the form for Ohio BCI background checks and NCPA/VCA for FBI background checks; and
• The address where all BCI/FBI background check results must be sent for review is: Ohio University, Attn: Risk Management C/O Larry Wines, Grosvenor West 103, 1 Ohio University, Athens, Ohio 45701
• Do not forget that the program directors also must have proper background checks.

      3. Accepting and Distributing Background Check Results:

• Current or prospective employees or volunteers have the right to obtain a copy of the criminal history records, if any, contained in the report, of the right to challenge the accuracy and completeness of any information contained in any such report, and to obtain a determination as to the validity of such challenge before a final determination regarding the person is made by Ohio University in reviewing the criminal history information. Information on these rights may be obtained by contacting BCI, Identification Division, P.O Box 365 London, Ohio 43140, or by contacting the FBI, regarding federal/national records, at FBI, Criminal Justice Information Services Division, Attn: SCU, MOD D-2, 1000 Custer Hollow Road, Clarksburg, West Virginia 26306, (304) 625-3878.
• A copy of background check results maybe be obtained by emailing Lori Markins at markinsl@ohio.edu with a copy to Larry Wines at wines@ohio.edu . The employee or volunteer would then stop by Grosvenor West 103 where they will have the results in an envelope with the employee or volunteer’s name and date/time to be picked up. Upon showing photo ID to the ESC staff, the employee or volunteer will receive the envelope containing the results.
• We may accept background check results only from other entities if legally provided as long as the individual required to be background checked meets the timing and residency requirements above and used ORC Section 5104.013, 2151.86 or 3319.39.
• Ohio University may not duplicate and/or disseminate criminal history records for use outside of our organization except as authorized by state and federal law.  Sharing of criminal history records with other qualified entities is permitted by the FBI provided that:
  • Such other entity is authorized to receive criminal history record information derived from the system of the U.S. Department of Justice in the manner specified herein and the other entity’s qualifying status is verified; and
  • The individual required to be background checked properly listed “NCPA/VCA VOLUNTEER” or “NCPA/VCA EMPLOYEE” in the “reason fingerprinted” block of the fingerprint card User submitted to BCI for the applicable current or prospective employee or volunteer.

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.

• 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 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