UPPS 01.04.41 - Protection of Minors and Reporting Abuse Policy

POLICY STATEMENT

Texas State University is committed to ensuring a safe and supportive environment for everyone on our campuses and recognizes its obligations to ensure the safety and well-being of minor children who are on the university campuses or facilities, participating in university-sponsored events, or events which involve university-affiliated individuals.

1. SCOPE

   1. This document establishes policy and procedures for operation of any activity which includes non-enrolled minors, and applies to all Texas State University faculty, staff, student workers, third-party vendors and their employees affiliated with Texas State, and all volunteers working with Texas State who have direct contact with minors.

   2. Texas State will comply with the Texas Education Code (Section 51.976 and Section 51.9761); Training and Examination Program for Employees of Campus Programs for Minors on Warning Signs of Sexual Abuse and Child Molestation, and Child Abuse Reporting Policy and Training, and Family Code (Chapter 261); Investigation of Report of Child Abuse or Neglect.

2. DEFINITIONS

   1. Abuse – includes the following acts or omissions by a person:

      1. mental or emotional injury to a minor that results in an observable and material impairment in the minor’s growth, development, or psychological functioning;

      2. causing or permitting a minor to be in a situation in which the minor sustains a mental or emotional injury that results in an observable and material impairment in the minor’s growth, development, or psychological functioning;

      3. physical injury that results in substantial harm to the minor, or the genuine threat of substantial harm from physical injury to the minor. This includes an injury that is at variance with the history or explanation given and excludes an accident or reasonable discipline by a parent, guardian, or managing or possessory conservator that does not expose the minor to a substantial risk or harm;

      4. failure to make a reasonable effort to prevent an action by another person that results in physical injury or substantial harm to the minor;

      5. sexual conduct harmful to a minor’s mental, emotional, or physical welfare, including conduct that constitutes the offense of continuous sexual abuse of a minor, indecency with a minor, sexual assault, or aggravated sexual assault;

      6. failure to make a reasonable effort to prevent sexual conduct harmful to a minor;

      7. compelling or encouraging a minor to engage in sexual conduct, including compelling or encouraging the minor to engage in conduct that constitutes an offense of trafficking of persons, prostitution, or compelling prostitution; and

      8. causing, permitting, encouraging, engaging in, or allowing the photographing, filming, or recording depicting of the minor if the person knew or should have known that the resulting photograph, film, or depiction of the minor is obscene or pornographic.

   2. Athletic Sports Camps

      Institutional Camp – a camp or clinic operated by a member of the Athletics Department, where the expenses, revenue and insurance are provided by an area within the Athletics Department (e.g., Stutters and Cheer).

      External Camp – a camp or clinic operated by a person or entity outside of the Athletics Department, including LLC’s owned and operated by Texas State coaches.

   3. Campus-Based Program for Minors at Texas State – any program or camp that offers recreational, religious, or educational activities and meets the following criteria:

      1. is operated by or on the campuses or on properties owned by the university, or is offered remotely online;

      2. is offered by internal departments, or external entities who lease facility space from the university; or

      3. is a day camp or an overnight camp where the minor temporarily resides in on-campus housing for one or more nights.

   4. Clinic and Therapy Programs for Minors – a healthcare, wellness, or social program sponsored by a Texas State academic unit that provides medical, mental health, or wellness services specifically tailored to the needs of individuals under the age of 18, with considerations for parental consent and confidentiality covered by HIPPA. Clinics are exempt from camp and program requirements in this policy if they meet the conditions in Section 03.

   5. Day Camp – any camp that primarily operates during any portion of the day between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m.

   6. Designated Individual – any person, whether employed, an independent contractor, or volunteer who has direct contact with a minor. Examples of designated individuals include, but are not limited to, faculty, staff, student workers (student assistants including work-study), graduate, teaching or research assistants, volunteers, contracted employees, and anyone affiliated with third-party vendors providing in-person or remote activities for minors.

   7. Direct Contact with a Minor – includes in-person visits, physical touching, individual time with a minor for an extended period, talking on the phone or sending messages, written communication such as letters or notes, online instructions and activities, or taking any action which furthers a relationship, such as buying presents. It excludes an individual who is a student enrolled at the institution or a faculty or staff member whose contact with a minor is limited to a single class or short duration.

   8. Institutional Review Board (IRB)-Approved Research – Human subject research involving minors approved by the Texas State IRB, within the Division of Research. IRB-approved research involving minors is exempt from camp and program requirements in this policy if approved by the Texas State Office of General Counsel.

   9. Laboratory – any space used for scientific or educational activities that may involve hazardous materials, hazardous situations or hazardous equipment including teaching laboratories, research laboratories, academic shops, academic studios, academic foundries, makerspaces, or field sites.

   10. Minor – a person under 18 years of age who is not and has not been married. If the person under the age of 18 is or has ever been married, the person is not considered a minor and a statement from the minor is the determining evidence. Individuals who are currently enrolled at Texas State and who are under the age of 18 are not included in this definition.

   11. Neglect

       1. the leaving of a minor in a situation where the person knows or should know that the minor would be exposed to a substantial risk of physical or mental harm, without arranging for necessary care for the minor, and the demonstration of an intent not to return by a parent, guardian, or managing or possessory conservator of the minor; or

       2. the following acts or omissions by a person who knows or should know that:

          1. placing a minor in or failing to remove a minor from a situation that a reasonable person would realize requires judgment or actions beyond the minor’s level of maturity, physical condition, or mental abilities and that results in bodily injury or a substantial risk of immediate harm to the minor;

          2. failing to seek, obtain, or follow through with medical care for a minor, with the failure resulting in or presenting a substantial risk of death, disfigurement, or bodily injury or with the failure resulting in an observable and material impairment to the growth, development, or psychological functioning of the minor;

          3. failing to provide a minor with food, clothing, or shelter necessary to sustain the life or health of the minor;

          4. placing a minor in or failing to remove the minor from a situation in which the minor would be exposed to a substantial risk of sexual conduct harmful to the minor;

          5. placing a minor in or failing to remove the minor from a situation in which the minor would be exposed to acts or omissions that constitute abuse committed against another minor; and

          6. permitting (by the person responsible for a minor’s care, custody, or welfare) the minor to return to the minor’s home without arranging for the necessary care for the minor after the minor has been absent from the home for any reason.

   12. Ongoing Youth Program – any program that offers recreational, religious, or educational activities, that operates during the long semesters of the academic year

       1. is operated by or on the campuses or properties owned by the university, or is offered remotely online; and

       2. primarily includes recurring activities over the course of several weeks or months during the fall or spring semesters.

   13. Online Compliance Portal – university’s designated platform (e.g., Ideal-Logic) for the reporting of all minor activity on campus in a centralized dashboard, in which information is maintained and tracked by Texas State compliance staff, program operators, and designees.

   14. Participant – a minor who attends a Texas State program.

   15. Person Responsible for a Minor’s Care, Custody, or Welfare – includes:

       1. a parent, guardian, managing or possessory conservator, or a foster parent of the minor;

       2. a member of the minor’s family or household, as defined by Texas Family Code, Chapter 71;

       3. a person with whom the minor’s parents cohabit;

       4. school personnel or a volunteer at the minor’s school; and

       5. personnel or a volunteer at a public or private minor-care facility that provides services for the minor or at a public or private residential institution or facility where the minor resides.

   16. Professional – an individual who is licensed or certified by the state or who is an employee of a facility licensed, certified, or operated by the state and who, in the normal course of official duties or duties for which a license or certification is required, has direct contact with minors. The term includes teachers, nurses, doctors, day-care employees, employees of a clinic or healthcare facility that provides reproductive services, juvenile probation officers, and juvenile detention or correctional officers (Family Code, Chapter 261.101(b)).

   17. Program Operator – a person who owns, operates, controls, or supervises a campus program for minors, regardless of profit.

   18. Remote-Delivery Camp or Program – any academic program presented in-part, or exclusively in a virtual format.

   19. Report – a report that alleged or suspected abuse of a minor has occurred or may occur.

   20. Single-Day Visit – any non-recurring visit of minors to a Texas State campus in a single day, not to exceed eight hours. Faculty, staff, and all designated individuals associated with single-day visits are required to follow procedures for Child Protection Training in Section 04. of this policy. Single-day visits are exempt from the additional camp and program requirements in this policy unless they include organized physical or athletic activities, or activities with elevated safety precautions.

   21. Visiting Groups – outside groups engaged in educational or outreach programs involving non-enrolled minors on Texas State campuses.

3. PROCEDURES FOR REPORTING ABUSE OR NEGLECT OF A MINOR

   1. All Texas State employees, third-party vendors, or volunteers who have direct contact with minors have:

      1. an obligation to report actual or suspected abuse or neglect of a minor; or cause to believe that an adult was a victim of abuse or neglect and determines, in good faith, that disclosure of the information is necessary to protect the health and safety of another minor. A person may not delegate or rely on another person to make the report.

   2. Any individual who witnesses a minor in imminent danger or a crime against a minor in progress should immediately call 911.

   3. A report must be made within 48 hours of the initial suspicion of abuse or neglect of a minor to the following, depending on the type of suspected abuse:

      1. the University Police Department at 512.245.2805 for all suspected abuse;

      2. the Title IX coordinator at 512.245.2539 if suspected abuse includes a person affiliated with Texas State;

      3. the Clery Act coordinator at 512.245.2167 if suspected abuse occurs on campus;

      4. Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) at www.dfps.texas.gov or 1.800.252.5400 if suspected abuse occurs at home; and

      5. Online and Extended Programs, at 512.245.2322 for all suspected abuse.

   4. A person making a report shall include, if known:

      1. the name and address of the minor;

      2. the name and address of the person responsible for the care, custody, or welfare of the minor; and

      3. any other pertinent information concerning the alleged or suspected abuse or neglect.

   5. The requirement to report applies without exception to an individual whose personal communications may otherwise be privileged.

   6. Failure of a person to comply with the reporting requirements of this policy and state law is a violation of state criminal law, and the person may be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination or expulsion.

4. PROCEDURES FOR CHILD PROTECTION TRAINING

   1. Training and certification required to be completed by faculty and staff and all designated individuals:

      1. completion of a module on reporting abuse of a minor and neglect through certified state training program in advance of the start of the event. This training is required on an annual basis. The expiration date for designated individuals’ training must be after the final day of the camp or program they are supporting. Texas State’s state-approved Child Protection Training is available through the online compliance portal, but a certificate of completion of another Youth Protection Training, approved by the Texas Department of State Health Services, is alternatively acceptable. Training records will be maintained and tracked in the online compliance portal.

      2. Training will include prevention techniques for and the recognition of symptoms of sexual, physical, emotional, or medical abuse and neglect of minors, techniques for reducing a minor’s risk of sexual abuse or other maltreatment, and the requirements and procedures for reporting suspected occurrences of abuse and neglect.

      3. Annual Criminal Background Checks – The criminal background check will be conducted through the online compliance portal. The department or third-party vendor is responsible for paying for the criminal background check. Completion of the background check is an annual requirement.

   2. Additional requirements to be completed by designated individuals:

      1. The program operator must certify with the appropriate university designee that they are solely responsible for ensuring full compliance with the requirements of Texas Education Code (Section 51.976) before the first day of the camp.

5. PROCEDURES FOR ALL CAMPS, YOUTH PROGRAMS, OR LABORATORY EVENTS WITH MINORS IN ATTENDANCE

   1. Program operators must record all scheduled activities through the Children and Minors on Campus website to ensure verification of compliance requirements including liability waivers, background checks, and other forms.

      1. The department/unit consults with Online and Extended Programs annually to report scheduled clinics on campus and to receive information on any updates to liability waivers, background checks, or other forms.

   2. The program operator must submit the staff and volunteer roster and the list of attendees to the appropriate dedicated university official on campus seven business days prior to allowing the camp to utilize campus facilities.

      Dedicated university officials for roster and attendee list submission:

      1. Overnight Camps with Minors Who Reside in On-Campus Housing – program manager, Housing Camps and Conferences, or designee;

      2. Athletic Sports Camps and Instructional Clinics – associate Athletic Director for Compliance, or designee;

      3. Campus-Based Programs for Minors, Labs, and Ongoing Youth Programs – assistant vice president for Online and Extended Programs, or designee.

   3. The program operator is responsible for ensuring that campus emergency procedures are followed in the event of an emergency.

   4. As recommended by the Texas State Office of General Counsel, all minors who participate in athletic sports camps or campus-based programs for minors (including both day camps and overnight camps), laboratory activities, single-day activities including organized physical or athletic activities, or activities with elevated safety precautions, and ongoing youth programs, must have a Participant Release of Liability for Minors and Authorization for Medical Treatment form signed by their parent or guardian prior to participating in program activities. All required forms must be submitted through the online compliance portal to Online and Extended Programs.

   5. Program operators should set camper-to-staff member ratios with the specific camp or program needs in mind. Housing and Residential Life recommends a ratio of one staff member per 10 participants through age 12, or of one staff member per 15 participants who are 13 years or older. Program operators may also refer to the camper-to-staff member ratios recommended by the American Camp Association.

6. ATHLETIC SPORTS CAMPS AND INSTRUCTIONAL CLINICS

   1. See A/PPS No. 08.02, Camps and Clinics for more information on Athletic sports camps and instructional clinics.

7. ADDITIONAL PROCEDURES FOR CAMPUS-BASED PROGRAMS FOR MINORS AND ONGOING YOUTH PROGRAMS

   1. All program operators must provide, through the online compliance portal, a finalized, alphabetized list of participants, along with all associated Participant Release of Liability for Minors and Authorization of Medical Treatment forms, to Online and Extended Programs no later than the first day of the camp or activity. Non-Texas State employees who work or volunteer at the camp must complete the Release of Liability for Adults form through the online compliance portal.

   2. The program operator must ensure a Facilities Use Agreement is submitted to the appropriate office by the second week in April for summer camps, labs, or programs.

      External camp rentals will be charged a facility rental fee based on fair market value. Additional fees may be charged as part of the facility rental agreement based on requests for extra amenities or usages.

      Liability insurance coverage is required for all external camps that are not a state entity covered by the Texas Tort Claims Act. External camps will provide Texas State with evidence of such insurance at least one week before the event and at any other time that Texas State may request. Liability insurance must include and maintain during the event:

      1. public liability and property damage insurance in at least the minimum amounts of $1,000,000 per occurrence and $3,000,000 aggregate;

      2. commercial automobile liability insurance, covering all owned, non-owned, or hired automobiles in at least the minimum amounts of $1,000,000;

      3. workers’ compensation insurance coverage for each of the organization’s employees involved in the event. The organization must meet the statutory requirements of the Texas Labor Code, 401.011(44); and

      4. the insurance shall include both Texas State and the Texas State University System as an additional named insured.

      Institutional camps are not charged a facility rental fee.

8. ADDITIONAL PROCEDURES FOR LABORATORY ACTIVITIES INVOLVING MINORS

   1. Faculty and staff who plan to have minors participate in laboratory activities are required to notify the chair of their department of this intent 30 days prior to the start of the activity. The department chairs will notify Online and Extended Programs and Environmental, Health, Safety, Risk and Emergency Management (EHSREM) of the faculty and staff members who intend to work directly with minors. Faculty and staff with minors participating in laboratory activities will serve as program operators and are responsible for the Child Protection Training and Background Check compliance. The vice president for TXST Global, or designee, will ensure all pertinent guidelines are followed and documents have been completed and filed with the appropriate entities.

   2. Faculty and staff must review and comply with requirements for allowing minors into university laboratories and complete appropriate documentation outlined in the Guidelines for Minors in Laboratories found on the EHSREM website.

   3. All minors who participate in university laboratory activities, such as research or support roles, must have a Participant Release of Liability for Minors and Authorization for Medical Treatment form completed in the online compliance portal by their parent or guardian prior to the first day of laboratory activities. All required forms must be submitted to the department chair or associate dean, who will then forward them to Online and Extended Programs.

   4. All adults (designated individuals 18 years or older associated with activities involving minors) working in laboratories who are not currently employed by the university nor currently enrolled as a student at Texas State must also fill out a liability waiver and volunteer form, to be submitted to the department chair or associate dean, who will then forward them to Online and Extended Programs.

9. MEDICATION ADMINISTRATION

   1. Program operators and designated individuals are not permitted to administer prescription medications to minor program participants. Minor participants may self-administer prescription medications if parents or guardians have completed the Parent/Guardian Authorization, Waiver, and Consent for Self-Administration of Prescription Medication form through the online compliance portal. Prescription medications that cannot be self-administered may not be administered by program staff. Special arrangements can be made with the Texas State Student Health Center for administration of prescription medications during normal hours of business, although program participants will incur additional charges for this service (contact the Student Health Center for specific charges). Medication administration authorizations expire at the end of the program. Medications must be in their original container and administered according to the prescriber instructions on the label. Any variation from prescription label instructions must be authorized in writing by the prescriber.

   2. Parents or guardians designate on the Parent/Guardian Authorization, Waiver, and Consent for Self-Administration of Prescription Medication form whether minors are authorized to self-carry medications. Self-administered medications that minors do not self-carry must be stored out of reach of all participants in a locked cabinet, drawer, or other area that can be accessed only by authorized staff. Medications requiring storage in a refrigerator must be stored in a marked and closed container separate from food or other items in the refrigerator. Access to the refrigerator must be restricted to authorized staff only, who may monitor minors self-administering but may not administer the prescription medications to minors.

   3. Program staff may administer over-the-counter medications with parental or guardian authorization submitted through the online compliance portal.

   4. When a program staff member administers over-the-counter medication, they must record the full name of the program participant, the name of medication, date and time the medication was given, the dose administered, and full name of staff or volunteer that administered the medication on a Medication Administration Log. A separate Medication Administration Log must be kept for each program participant. These records will be maintained and tracked in the online compliance portal.

   5. Medication must be returned to the parent or guardian of the program participant after the end of the program or upon participant dismissal from the program.

   6. All medical information collected is strictly confidential and should be safeguarded. Forms and logs containing medical information in the online compliance portal can be accessed only by authorized staff. Forms and logs with medical information must be retained in the online compliance portal or in secure storage for three years after the end of the program by the program operator, or designee. This information shall be properly disposed of after the retention period expires.

   7. If program participants become ill, they will have the opportunity to return home (after consulting with their parents or guardians and the program operator).

   8. If a program participant, guest, or student who is not employed by Texas State is injured while on-campus, a designated individual from the camp, lab, or program must complete an EHSREM Incident Report.

10. PROCEDURES FOR CAMP REPORTS AND RETENTION OF RECORDS

    1. The Department of Housing and Residential Life Conference Coordinator, the associate Athletic Director for Compliance, and the vice president of TXST Global, or designee, will submit reports containing a list of all residential camps, remote camps, and day camps to the associate vice president for Institutional Compliance and Ethics and Chief Compliance Officer by the end of the fiscal year.

    2. Reports will be retained by the associate vice president for Institutional Compliance and Ethics and Chief Compliance Officer for two fiscal years.

11. CONFIDENTIALITY, IMMUNITY, AND RETALIATION

    1. Due to the sensitive nature of this type of report, it is important to maintain the highest level of confidentiality and professionalism.

    2. A person acting in good faith who reports or assists in the investigation of a report of alleged or suspected child abuse or neglect or who testifies or otherwise participates in a judicial proceeding arising from a report, petition, or investigation of alleged child abuse or neglect is immune from civil or criminal liability that might otherwise be incurred or imposed.

    3. Filing a false report is a violation of state criminal law and may subject faculty, staff, and students to disciplinary action, up to and including termination or expulsion.

    4. Texas State may not retaliate against a person who in good faith reports child abuse or neglect to their supervisor, an administrator of the facility where the person is employed, a state regulatory agency, or a law enforcement agency, or initiates or cooperates with an investigation or proceeding by a government entity relating to allegation of child abuse or neglect.

12. SAFETY AND RISK MANAGEMENT FEE AND BACKGROUND CHECK FEE

    1. Camps, programs, and laboratories for which registrations, consent forms, waivers, child protection training, and background checks are completed through the online compliance portal will be assessed a per-participant Safety and Risk Management Fee.

    2. The Safety and Risk Management Fee supports Texas State’s implementation of the online compliance portal, funds staff support from Online and Extended Programs to exercise compliance management and oversight, and supports the cost of child protective training review and approval by State of Texas.

    3. Online and Extended Programs will provide at least one year’s notice before increasing the Safety and Risk Management Fee.

13. EXEMPTION OF IRB-APPROVED RESEARCH ACTIVITIES INVOLVING MINORS

    1. Institutional Review Board-approved research activities involving minors may be exempt from camp and program requirements in this policy if approved by the vice president of Research who may consult with the Texas State Office of General Counsel.

14. FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH POLICY

    1. Failure to comply with policy, including any departmental or camp-specific arrangements which are put in place under it, may lead to loss of camp hosting privileges and disciplinary action being taken.

15. REVIEWERS OF THIS UPPS

    1. Reviewers of this UPPS include the following:

       Position	Date
       Assistant Vice President for Online and Extended Programs	July 1 E5Y
       Director, Extension Studies & Online Compliance	July 1 E5Y
       Associate Vice President for Institutional Compliance	July 1 E5Y
       Executive Director, Housing and Residential Life	July 1 E5Y
       Director, Athletics	July 1 E5Y
       Director, Environmental, Health, Safety, Risk and Emergency Management	July 1 E5Y

16. CERTIFICATION STATEMENT

    This UPPS has been approved by the following individuals in their official capacities and represents Texas State policy and procedure from the date of this document until superseded.

    Assistant Vice President for Online and Extended Programs; senior reviewer of this UPPS Vice President for TXST Global

    President