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Ethics and Compliance

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Minors on Campus

Protecting Minors on Campus

Those who administer covered programs must comply with applicable federal and state laws and university policies regarding the protection of minors on campus. Additionally, all individuals involved in covered programs who serve minors must adhere to background screenings and conduct requirements, including the obligation to report known or suspected abuse or neglect of a minor under applicable law.

Please take some time to familiarize yourself with the relevant processes detailed on this page and use the table of contents below to quickly jump to a certain topic or section. If you have additional questions, please email . 

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Protection of Minors Process

The process described on this page applies to Temple University faculty, staff, students, volunteers and contractors, as well as non-Temple organizations or individuals who administer covered programs or who host any activity, program or camp that is

  • held on Temple University campuses, sponsored or operated by Temple University; and 

  • has participants who are minors (younger than 18 years old). 

Program Registration

All programs and activities involving minors at Temple University must be approved and registered using the Minors on Campus registration system.  

Please complete the application to register Minors on Campus programs or events that take place at Temple University. External programs must complete a Facilities Use Agreement form (PDF) and return it to their Temple contact. 

All covered programs (internal and external), including virtual programs, must be registered at least 60 days prior to the first scheduled date of participation by minors. Failure to register in a timely fashion may disqualify the program from operating on Temple University’s campus. 

Internal Program Coordinators

Temple University employees registering a Minors on Campus program or event should log in with their AccessNet credentials. 

Temple employees and volunteers (including students) who will be interacting with minors and have not completed the child abuse background clearance must have their supervisor or hiring manager use the link below to request a Child Abuse Certification. Individuals may not request certifications on their own behalf. 

Managers may request a Child Abuse Certification or copy and paste the following URL into your internet browser: noncredit.temple.edu/hrcert. 

External Programs

All external programs must create an account on Temple University’s Minors on Campus registration system to access the application when planning an event in university buildings and facilities on all domestic university campuses (Temple University policy #04.34.01 [PDF]).  

When completing the registration, you will be prompted to upload the documents listed below. 

  • Required clearances, Pennsylvania child abuse, Pennsylvania criminal history and federal criminal history record (fingerprint-based) 

  • List of adults who will be assisting/working in the program 

  • State or federal IDs for all adults assisting/working in the program 

  • Completed Facilities Use Agreement (PDF) to return to Temple contact/event sponsor 

Background Clearance Requirements

The Ethics and Compliance coordinator is responsible for coordinating the completion of required background checks and accepting the report of federal criminal history records from the faculty, staff, student or volunteer. Background clearances will be reviewed and analyzed to ensure consistency with university policies and procedures. 

All individuals who will have direct contact with minors in a covered program are subject to the following minimum screening requirements.

All screenings will be conducted, and all information and results will be used in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, and university policies and procedures. 

All background clearances must be

  • no more than five years old at the time of program registration, and

  • completed and submitted prior to having contact with children. 

Any individual subject to screening requirements has a continuing obligation, if they continue to participate in a covered program, to immediately disclose to the university any new felony or misdemeanor conviction or plea of nolo contendere. 

Failure to comply with the background clearance requirements shall disqualify a covered individual from hosting or participating in any camp/event in university buildings and facilities on all domestic university campuses. 

For information on how to obtain background clearances, please visit Pennsylvania’s Department of Human Services website. 

Temple Internal Programs

Temple employees, students and volunteers participating in activities involving minors must have valid Child Abuse Certifications and disclosures on file with the Office of Background Checks and Compliance prior to the commencement of service in accordance with the Child Protective Services Law (CPSL) and Temple University Policy #04.61.14 (PDF). 

Temple employees who will be planning an event or program on campus must do the following.

  • Register on Minors on Campus registration system. Temple’s Policy on the Safety of Minors requires all covered programs to be registered at least 60 days prior to the first scheduled date of participation by minors. 

  • Submit a list of staff, students or volunteers who will be working for the program or event including their TUid and position/department.

Human Resources will review the staff list and confirm all are cleared to have contact with minors. The program coordinator will receive an email approval notice from the Human Resources Office of Background Checks and Compliance when all clearances have been reviewed and accepted. 

External Programs Operating in University Buildings and Facilities

The following information is for non-Temple organizations or individuals who host any activity, program or camp only. Individuals who are employed by or affiliated with the university (e.g., alumni, coaches) shall be considered external groups if they seek to use buildings or facilities in an individual capacity or as representative of a third-party organization.

All programs or activities involving minors on Temple’s campus must ensure their programs are run consistently with Temple University’s Policy on the Safety of Minors (PDF). The policy includes requirements relating to reporting suspected abuse or neglect of minors, registering programs, completing relevant online training, and undergoing background checks. 

All contracts for the use of university facilities (Facilities Use Agreement (PDF)) by outside parties for programs involving minors must reference the requirements for program registration and background checks. External program coordinators will work with their Temple contact to complete Temple’s Facilities Use Agreement. 

Once the registration is completed, the external program must submit the names of those working or volunteering with their program and the three required clearances.  

The required clearances are listed below. 

Per Pennsylvania’s Child Protective Services Law, required clearances are valid for 60 months (five years) and must be renewed prior to the expiration date to remain valid. For information regarding required background checks, please visit Pennsylvania’s Department of Human Services website. 

Temple’s Policy on the Safety of Minors (PDF) requires all covered programs to be registered at least 60 days prior to the first scheduled date of participation by minors. External programs must complete all requirements of Temple’s Policy on the Safety of Minors. Failure to comply with these requirements will result in cancellation of their program, camp or activity. 

Reporting Abuse or Neglect

In addition to university faculty, staff, students and volunteers, those having direct contact with minors in covered programs are required to comply with all applicable Temple University policies and procedures as well as local, state and federal laws and regulations regarding the reporting of known or suspected abuse or neglect of a minor.

Information regarding the signs of child abuse and neglect can be found in  Appendix C in Temple’s Policy on the Safety of Minors (PDF). Pennsylvania law requires that “persons who, in the course of their professional work, come into contact with children are obligated to report suspected child abuse to ChildLine or law enforcement.” 

Mandated Reporters are required to report any instances of known or suspected abuse, molestation or neglect relating to children.

If you are a member of the university’s faculty, staff, student body or a university volunteer, or are having direct contact with minors in covered programs, and within the course and scope of your employment or duties you become aware of abuse or neglect, or have a suspicion of possible abuse or neglect of a minor, you are considered a mandated reporter and have an affirmative duty to report the incident or suspicion of harm to the Department of Public Safety at 215-204-1234 on Main Campus, Ambler Campus or the Health Sciences Center campus, or to local law enforcement via 911 at any location. To report anonymously, call the Pennsylvania Department of Child Services child abuse reporting hotline at 800-932-0313. 

Failure to comply with this policy may result in discipline up to and including termination of employment and/or potential criminal charges per the Pennsylvania Child Protective Services Law.

Policies and Resources for Minors on Campus

If you manage, participate in or oversee programs or activities involving minors, please review the Temple University’s policies, important contacts, required forms and additional information below. 

Policies
Important Contacts
Required Forms
Additional Information and Resources

Definitions

Carefully review the definitions of important terms used throughout this page below. 

Background Clearance

The process of gathering and reviewing history records furnished by the commonwealth of Pennsylvania to properly vet individuals who will have contact with minor children on the Temple University campus. Individuals who do not have valid background clearances on file will not be permitted to interact with minors in person or remotely for any program, activity or service offered to children under the age of 18 on Temple’s campuses. 

Covered Individuals

Persons working or volunteering in connection with any program, activity or service offered to children under the age of 18 who are not matriculated Temple students (e.g., programs offered to high school, middle school and/or elementary school students), including summer programs, sports camps and clinics, lab and other training opportunities, and nondegree and noncredit educational programs. 

Covered Programs

Programs, activities and events that serve minors conducted by or on behalf of Temple University and/or taking place on any domestic university campus, organized by Temple or any other non-Temple organization or individual(s), whether for academic, athletic, recreational or other purposes. 

Covered programs do not include any university undergraduate or graduate academic programs in which matriculated minors are enrolled for academic credit, including research programs subject to the review and approval of an institutional review board (IRB) sponsored by or authorized by the university to provide oversight concerning such research programs; as well as events on campus that are open to the general public and which minors may attend at the discretion of their parent(s) or guardian(s). 

Direct Contact with Minors

Care, supervision, guidance or control of minors or routine interaction with minors or contact with prospective or admitted minor students on virtual platforms. 

External Programs

Any group, organization, person or program not directly affiliated with Temple. For purposes of Temple’s policy, individuals who are employed by or affiliated with the university (e.g., alumni, coaches) shall be considered external groups if they seek to use buildings or facilities in an individual capacity or as a representative of a third-party organization.

Internal Programs

Temple University faculty, staff, students and/or volunteers responsible for, supervising or otherwise overseeing minors’ care and control in covered programs. 

Mandated Reporters

As defined in 23 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 6303, persons who, in the course of their employment, occupation or practice of their profession, including all program staff, have contact with children. Additionally includes any person who is required to report suspected child abuse, as well as any person who may make such a report if that person has reasonable cause to suspect that a child is an abused child. 

Minor/Minors

A nonmatriculated individual under the age of 18.

Program Registration

An official record or list of programs, activities or services along with any required supporting documentation, occurring on and using university facilities that involve nonmatriculated minors. Program registration is mandatory for all programs operated on Temple University property.