Adopted by President’s Cabinet 7/28/15
Revised 5/21/24
Policy Statement
It is the goal of EGSC to provide a safe and effective learning environment for all students and a safe and effective workplace for all faculty and staff. Any action which interferes with this goal will not be permitted. At no time may a child who is not a currently enrolled EGSC student be left unattended on campus, including in a campus building, on campus grounds, or in a vehicle. Children must be under the direct supervision of a parent, legal guardian, or responsible adult at all times while on campus. Parents, legal guardians, or responsible adults of children considered disruptive or unsupervised will be asked to remove the children from campus immediately. East Georgia State College does not assume responsibility for supervision of unattended minors. Safety of the child or children is of primary importance to the College.
Reason for Policy
The purpose of this policy is to provide guidance to all members of the College community on when children may be present on the College’s campus.
Who Should Read this Policy
All faculty, staff, students, and visitors seeking to bring children onto the campus should be familiar with this policy.
Definitions
These definitions apply to these terms as they are used in this policy:
Child/Children: The term “child” or “children” refers to an individual(s) who has not yet reached sixteen years of age.
Legal Guardian: The term “legal guardian” refers to a person named in a will or assigned by a court who has the legal responsibility for providing the care and management of a minor child.
Responsible Adult: The term “responsible adult” refers to a person 21 years of age or older to whom the parent or legal guardian has given temporary responsibility for providing the care and management of a minor child.
Direct Supervision: The term “direct supervision” refers to being in the direct line of sight of the supervisor.
Overview
EGSC acknowledges that family needs and responsibilities may in some circumstances require the presence of a child on the campus for a limited amount of time. Any individual who makes the decision to bring a child onto the College campus should be aware and respectful of the needs of others to have a quiet educational and/or work setting. Except in very limited circumstances, no child who is sick is permitted on campus. Persons who bring a child onto campus shall comply with the specific policies and procedures set forth below.
Policy
I. Children in Classrooms or Academic Buildings
The College must provide a safe and effective learning environment for all students. All children must be in the presence of and under the direct supervision of a parent, legal guardian, or responsible adult at all times. Children may not be left unsupervised in the classrooms, hallways, or common areas of academic buildings at any time.
Due to the nature of the equipment and the level of supervision necessary, children will not be allowed in college laboratories or the fitness center at any time unless part of a sponsored function pre-approved by the President or his designee.
For classrooms and faculty offices, children are only allowed at the discretion of the instructor. Permission should be granted only for rare occasions due to a temporary, unforeseen emergency or circumstance. Children are not allowed in the classroom as an alternative to regular childcare or when the child is too ill to attend regular childcare or school. Any student whose child is considered disruptive or unsupervised will be asked to remove the child immediately.
II. Children in the Library
Children must always have a parent, legal guardian, or responsible adult present with them in the library. Patrons older than 10 years of age are allowed to use the computers without constant adult supervision. Patrons under 10 years of age must always have a parent, legal guardian, or responsible adult monitoring computer usage.
The parent, legal guardian, or responsible adult, not the Library staff, is responsible for the child’s use of the Library. The parent, legal guardian, or responsible adult of a child who is considered disruptive or unsupervised will be asked to remove the child immediately.
III. Children in the Residence Hall
Residential students must adhere to specific guidelines in the Resident Student Handbook regarding visitation procedures. Children visiting students in the residence hall must be under the supervision of a parent, legal guardian, or responsible adult at all times. Child guests will be limited to daytime visits only (10 a.m. – Midnight) and will not be permitted overnight visitation privileges unless part of a sponsored function pre-approved by the President or his designee. For purposes of the residence hall, “child” means any person under the age of 18.
IV. Children in the Workplace
While the College seeks to provide an environment supportive of families, the workplace should not be used in lieu of a childcare provider. It is inappropriate for children or other minor relatives of an employee to be in work areas during work hours for several reasons: the potential liability to the College, risk of harm to the children, and decreased employee productivity due to distractions and disruptions. Therefore, it is the policy of the College that children or other minor relatives of employees not be present at the employee’s workplace – for example, office, classroom, or shop area – in lieu of other childcare arrangements during the employee’s work hours.
Parents, legal guardians, and responsible adults are prohibited from asking any college employee to supervise a child during normal working hours. College employees are prohibited from supervising a child of another College employee, student, or visitor during normal working hours.
This policy is not intended to prohibit children or other family members from the campus when the purpose of their visit is to attend classes or to participate in activities specifically scheduled for their benefit, such as summer camps, activities, or programs. Children or minor relatives of an employee that are on campus after the employee’s work hours and not attending classes or participating in scheduled events must be directly supervised by the employee or other responsible adult at all times. Any employee whose child is considered disruptive or unsupervised will be asked to remove the child immediately.
V. Parental Responsibility
Parents, legal guardians, and responsible adults are responsible for ensuring that their children behave appropriately while on campus. Parents and legal guardians are responsible for any and all injuries or damages sustained to or caused by their child while on campus.
VI. Enforcement
The monitoring and enforcement of this policy is the responsibility of all faculty, staff, and students. Each member should consistently and politely bring any infraction of this policy to the attention of the person or persons observed violating it. If they are uncomfortable discussing it with the person, it should be reported to the next level supervisor or Human Resources. Should the infraction continue, the behavior shall be reported to the Director of Human Resources (for faculty and staff in violation of the policy) or the Dean of Students (for students in violation of the policy) as soon as possible.
Anytime a child is discovered on campus in a dangerous situation or is unsupervised and the parent, legal guardian, or responsible adult cannot be identified and located in a reasonable time, Campus Police shall be immediately notified.
