4.2 - Children on Campus

Last updated on April 3, 2023

POLICY:  Spoon River College recognizes that many employees and students have a broad range of personal responsibilities and it may be necessary to occasionally bring a child(ren) into the work and teaching environments on campus.

In order to minimize the liability of injury to a child(ren) brought into the workplace or classroom, and in order to maximize the productivity of all employees, the practice of bringing children into the workplace on a continuous, regular basis is prohibited. This is not intended to prohibit a parent from bringing a dependent child to campus occasionally for a short-term visit.

SCOPE:

This policy applies to all Spoon River College employees and students.

DEFINITIONS:

Child/children:  People under the age of 16 years of age.

Parent/Guardian: The student or staff member who is responsible for the child(ren) while on College property.

DETAILS:

  1. Children under the supervision of parents/guardians can be on campus in general community areas for approved College activities.
  2. Spoon River College undertakes all reasonably practicable steps to eliminate or effectively control hazards to children on College property, recognizing that parents/guardians have the responsibility to supervise their child(ren) while the child(ren) is on campus.
  3. There are occasions when staff and students may need to bring their child(ren) into the work or teaching areas when there is a sudden or unexpected difficulty in childcare arrangements and they have been unable to find an alternative childcare arrangement. This arrangement is not intended to substitute for regular childcare. Any persons seeking approval to bring their child(ren) to work and/or class must follow the procedures below.
  4. When on campus, children must be under the supervision of an adult who is responsible for the child’s behavior and safety and will follow College requirements on restricted access.
  5. Parents/guardians are not to bring a child with an infectious disease onto the campus.
  6. The College retains the right to direct parents/guardians to remove their child(ren) from any area of the campus. Parents/guardians may be directed to remove a child(ren) from the workplace, classroom or other College space by a supervising administrator or faculty of the College if:

    Supervising administrators/faculty have the right to refuse permission for parents/guardians to bring a child(ren) into any area within the College because of concerns related to health and safety issues or the type of work or study being undertaken, including examinations and meetings.

PROCEDURE(S):

  1. Off-Campus Activities: Parents/guardians may request for a child(ren) to accompany the parent/guardian on field trips or athletic events in advance, in writing, to the Vice President or designee.  Requests must include any known health issues associated with the child, a plan to manage any health and safety risks, and must indicate that the request has the support of the field trip leader.
  2. Supervision of children by non-parents/guardians: The person in charge of the school group is the supervisor of the children.  Where a work experience program has been approved by a secondary school and the College, the supervisor is the College staff member assigned by Administration to supervise the work experience person.
  3. Employee Request to Bring Child to Workplace: Parents/guardians must provide a written request to the supervising administrator to bring a child(ren) into the workplace when there are sudden and/or unexpected difficulties in childcare arrangements.  Requests must include any known health issues associated with the child and a plan to manage any health and safety risks.  Normally the request is made to the supervising administrator prior to the child attending work.  It is expected that parents/guardians would ensure that there would be minimal disruption to others caused by their children, where approval is given.  The supervising administrator will consider the following factors when making a decision on this request:<
  4. Student Request to Bring Child to Classroom: Parents/guardians must provide a written request to the faculty to bring a child(ren) into the classroom when there are sudden and/or unexpected difficulties in childcare arrangements.  Requests must include any known health issues associated with the child and a plan to manage any health and safety risks.  Normally the request is made to the faculty prior to the child attending class.  It is expected that parents/guardians would ensure that there would be minimal disruption to others caused by their children, where approval is given.  The faculty will consider the following factors when making a decision on this request: