Transcript Ball State University

MINORS ON CAMPUS
Policy Education & Training
Ball State University © 2013
What is required by the Policy?
• Appropriate Screening for all staff, personnel, and
volunteers interacting with minors at Ball State
• Background Checks including criminal history and the Sex Offender
Registry
• Notify HR of all participating persons
• Decision to exclude an individual program will be made by the
Associate VP for HR or designee
• Completed Minors on Campus Training and specific
department training as applicable
• Register programs with the Director of Risk Management
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Remember that systematic background
checks are no substitute for effective
screening
• Only 3-4% of child molesters have any criminal history
• Juvenile records are typically sealed, so background
checks may not disclose any criminal history prior to age
18 unless the person was waived as an adult
• Conduct in-person interviews, follow-up with reference
checks, and continuously monitor employees and
volunteers
• Use probationary periods for staff if appropriate
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Identifying and Minimizing Risks
• Who is a minor?
• Where are they on campus?
• What sponsored programs are they involved in off
campus?
• What are the risks and hazards for minors at Ball State?
• How can you minimize these risks?
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Who is a minor?
• Indiana State Law
defines a minor as
any person under
the age of 18 (IC 11-4-5(8)).
• Ball State adopts
the same definition
excepting regularly
enrolled college
students age 17
and up.
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Where are they?
Examples include:
• Camps and special events—academic, athletics,
homecoming, alumni events
• Facilities rentals
• Field trips to campus
• Community and family outreach—tutoring, affiliates, family
weekends
• Burris and Academy students
• International programs
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What are some of the risks?
• Safety risks
• Laboratories
• Shops & Studios
• Athletic camps
• Alcohol & Controlled
Substances
• Medical Care
• Medications
• Human Risks
• Adult-Minor Interactions
• Supervision &
Monitoring
• Sexual Misconduct
• Minor-Minor Interactions
• Hazing & Bullying
• Sexual Misconduct
• Food and medicinal
allergies
• Injury & Trauma
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Alcohol & Controlled Substances
Controlled substances include alcohol and illegal drugs, such as
opiates, opium derivatives, hallucinogenic substances, depressants,
and stimulants (IC 35-48-2 et seq.), as well as over-the-counter (OTC)
and prescription medications, and tobacco products
Limiting access to alcohol & controlled substances
• NEVER provide tobacco products to a minor
• Ball State is a tobacco-free campus, no one is permitted to use tobacco
products on campus regardless of age
• NEVER provide alcohol to a minor.
• It is a Class C misdemeanor for a person under 21 years of age to possess or
consume alcohol in Indiana (IC 7.1-5-7-7)
• It is at least a Class B misdemeanor for a person to provide alcohol to a minor
(IC 7.1-5-7-8, see also IC 35-46-1-8)
• NEVER provide or dispense any controlled substances without
express permission
• It is a Class C felony for a person over 21 years of age to furnish a
controlled substance or drug in violation of Indiana law to a minor
(IC 35-46-1-8(b))
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Alcohol & Controlled Substances
• Ensure that parents or guardians complete a medical
authorization form detailing what types and/or dosages of
OTC medications their children may take and whether
such medications may be self-administered
• Ensure that parents or guardians list prescription
medications and dosages; create a plan for administration
or self-administration
• If you discover a minor in possession of alcohol or a
controlled substance without permission, report
immediately to the program director
• It is a Class C misdemeanor for a person over 21 years of age to
encourage or aid a minor to unlawfully possess alcohol
(IC 7.1-5-7-15)
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Medical Care
• Medical authorization and consent signed by parent or legal
guardian
• Medication Checklist for parents
• Know what medicines and/or dosages for OTC medications
• List any prescription medications and dosages
• Ensure that the parent or guardian has provided sufficient quantities for the
duration of the program
• Have a plan for administration or self-administration by the minor
• List of any known food or medicinal allergies
• Know the severity of allergy; have a plan for any accidental ingestion
or exposure
• Injury & Trauma
• Know where the nearest hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies are
located; whether they have pediatric services
• Have contact information for emergency and non-emergency
centers
• ALWAYS notify parents at the earliest possibility
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Preventing Sexual Abuse
• The goal of all programs and policies is to PREVENT
sexual abuse before it occurs by providing safe
environments for minors
• Background checks, interviews, and reference checks for all
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personnel interacting with minors
Ongoing training for appropriate interactions and reporting of
suspicious activity
Create an open and visible environment
Transparency: encourage dialogue and feedback from personnel,
parents, and minors
Enforcement: apply the rules consistently and follow up on
violations
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Types of Child Abuse Offenders
Predatory or Preferential Offenders
•
Tend to build their lives around gaining access to
children (jobs, volunteers work, social activities)
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Pick out favorite children & give them extra attention
and gifts, physically engage them (hugs, massage,
squeezing)
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Convince parents and other adults that they love
children (grooming not just the children, but society)
•
Screening and selection policies can often detect
warning signs and past history, but if predatory
offenders slip through, staff needs to pay extra attention
to behavioral warning signs and/or policy violations
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Types of Child Abuse Offenders
Opportunistic Offenders
• Do not necessarily seek out children
• Often interact with children and minors and the boundaries
become blurry (e.g., college aged students and teenagers
with similar maturity levels)
• Alcohol, drugs, or personal problems may impair the adult’s
judgment
• May take advantage of anonymity to offend—crowded
places where they can “accidentally” grope a minor;
locations such as bathrooms and locker rooms where minors
undress where they can secretly take photos or video
• Staff should create and enforce strict policies regarding
appropriate boundaries and unsupervised contact between
minors and adults
• Staff should closely monitor high-risk situations
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Open and Visible Environment
• Sexual abuse is, in part, a crime of opportunity
• Minimize opportunities for adults to be alone with
minors
• Follow a 2+ Adult Interaction Policy whenever possible: have
at least two adults with a group of minors at all times
• For circumstances that require one-on-one interaction (e.g,
tutoring), ensure that those activities take place in an open
environment such as open library tables
• Activities should NEVER take place behind locked doors
• For activities that may require private sessions (e.g., music
lessons), conduct random check-ins
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Physical Signs of Sexual Abuse
• Pain, itching, or trauma in the genital area
• Unexplained health-related complaints
• Persistent or recurring pain during urination and bowel
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movements
Wetting and soiling accidents unrelated to toilet training
Torn, stained, or bloody underclothing
Venereal disease or pregnancy
Difficulty walking or sitting
Touching selves or others
Self-abuse, inflicting pain
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Behavioral Signs of Sexual Abuse
• Fear of adults and/or certain people
• Dependency on non-abusive adults
• Anger, aggressiveness, crying, complaining, low self-esteem
• Use of explicit sexual language
• Mimicking of adult-like sexual behaviors
• Sudden increase or decrease in hygiene habits
• Decreased participation with peers
• Talk of suicide or attempts
Remember that there is no one-size-fits-all
model; watch for any unexplained and sudden
changes in behavior. If you are suspicious,
follow up and seek assistance.
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What if a child discloses abuse?
Minors may report abuse at home, from an
adult on campus, or from another minor
• Do not panic or express shock at the disclosure
• Express your belief that the child is telling the truth
• Reassure the child that it is not his or her fault
• Let the child know what you will do
• Report to the proper authorities immediately
* Note that minors commonly retract their statements especially
in cases of sexual abuse—out of guilt, fear, or confusion. This
does NOT relieve you of your obligation to report the
abuse to authorities.
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Reporting Suspected Abuse
• You have a legal obligation to report abuse. (IC 31-33-5-1,
et seq.): anyone who has a “reason to believe” that a child
is the victim of child abuse or neglect shall immediately
make an oral report to the Department of Child Services
(DCS) or a local law enforcement agency
• Centralized DCS Hotline: 1-800-800-5556 available 24/7
• Muncie Police: 911 or (765) 747-4838
• Delaware County Sheriff: (765) 747 7878
• Ball State University Police: (765) 289-1241 or 1-800-382-8540
• When reporting suspected abuse, it is helpful to have all
of the identifying information in front of you: name, ages of
each child, address, and phone number
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Reporting at Ball State
Further, if you are required to make such a report
to the authorities, you must also immediately notify
the program director
• The program director is obligated to make a formal
report as well, but this does NOT relieve you of your
duty to report to authorities.
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What is a “reason to believe” child abuse exists?
• A “reason to believe” is the legal standard by which your duty to
report is measured. If you have a reason to believe that abuse
exists and you fail to report, you may be subject to criminal
charges
• IC 31-9-2-101: a “reason to believe” is evidence that, if
presented to individuals of similar background and training
would cause the individuals to believe that a child was abused
or neglected.
• Variable standard based on your background and training
• What would a typical person in your position think?
Example: a teacher may not have reason to believe that certain
injuries were caused by abuse, whereas a doctor, based on
training and experience, may believe that abuse exists
and therefore has a duty to report.
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Reporting Requirements
• You do not need to investigate or prove that the
allegations or suspicion is factual
• It is not the responsibility of educators, faculty, or staff to
prove that allegations are true or false
• Your role is to report the abuse and set in motion the
process of getting help for the child
• Think of the report as a request for an investigation
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What if another BSU employee or affiliate
reports to you?
• Remove any barriers to reporting; inform your
subordinates of the reporting requirements; reinforce the
importance of reporting
• Post reporting procedures in an easily accessible location;
provide phone numbers to local law enforcement and
CPS
• If a subordinate discloses suspected abuse to you, you
are also required by law to report to CPS or local law
enforcement
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Do minors sexually abuse
other minors?
• Yes, over a third of all sexual abuse of children is
committed by someone under the age of 18.
• Juvenile offenders fall into two main categories: (1) those
who offend against children; and (2) those who offend
against peers or adults
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Healthy Sexual Development vs.
Harmful Behavior
• Children pass through different stages of development as
they grow. It is normal for children’s awareness and
curiosity about their own sexual feelings to change as
they pass through infancy, childhood, puberty, and
adolescence
• It is helpful to distinguish between common and
uncommon sexual behaviors to identify harmful sexual
acts and children who might have been abused or could
be potential abusers
www.safersociety.org
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What is age-appropriate sexual behavior?
• Preschool (0-5 years)
• Common: sexual language regarding body parts, bathroom talk,
pregnancy, and birth; private or public self-stimulation, showing or
looking at private body parts
• Uncommon: language of specific sexual acts or explicit language;
adult-like sexual contact with other children
• School-age (6-12 years)
• Common: questions about relationships and sexual behavior,
menstruation, and pregnancy; experimentation with similar-aged
children, kissing, touching; private self-stimulation
• Uncommon: adult-like sexual interactions, discussion of specific
sexual acts, public self-stimulation
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What is age-appropriate sexual behavior?
• Puberty—this can begin in school-aged or adolescent children
• Common: increased curiosity about sexual materials and information,
relationships, and sexual behavior; using more explicit sexual words
and describing sexual acts; increased experimentations with similaraged minors, including open mouthed kissing, fondling
• Uncommon: consistent adult-like sexual behavior, self-stimulation in
public, oral/genital contact, intercourse
• Adolescence (13 to 16 years)
• Common: questions about decision-making, social relationships, and
sexual customs; experimenting with similar-aged adolescents
including kissing, fondling, and oral/genital contact; approximately 1/3
engage in intercourse
• Uncommon: self-stimulation in public; sexual interest directed
toward much younger children
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Sexually harmful behavior
• Sexually harmful behavior is sexual activity between
children that occurs without consent, without equality, or
as a result of coercion
• Sexual exploration with much younger or vulnerable children (e.g.,
disabilities or developmental challenges)
• Using force, tricks, bribery, or other manipulation
• Overt and deliberate acts at stimulation vs. anatomical curiosity or
exploration
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Warning Signs of Sexually Harmful or
Abusive Behavior
There is no mold for a typical youth offender; they
come from all backgrounds. But there are some
warning signs you can look out for:
• Making others uncomfortable by consistently missing or ignoring
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social cues about others’ personal limits or boundaries
Insisting on physical contact with a child even when that child resists
Preferring to spend time alone with younger children rather than
peers
Responding sexually to typical gestures of friendliness or affection
Regularly minimizing, justifying, or denying the impact of
inappropriate behavior
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Stronger indicators of risk for abusive behavior
• Linking sexuality and aggression in language or behavior;
sexually harassing behavior; forcing sexual interaction
• Turning to younger or more vulnerable children for sexual
exploration rather than peers
• Inability to control sexual behaviors after being told to stop
• Taking younger children to “secret” places, engaging in
undressing or touching games
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What are the warning signs exhibited by
victims?
• Minors victimized by other minors show many of the same
physical and behavioral signs as those victimized by
adults
• Reluctance to be alone with a particular child or anxiety
around that child is common
• Depending on the scenario, children many not understand
that the behavior is inappropriate or harmful
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Reporting Requirements
• Indiana law does not distinguish between child abuse
committed by adults or abuse committed by other minors
• Recognizing the difference between sexual exploration
and sexually harmful behavior, if you have a “reason to
believe” that a child has been the victim of abuse (without
consent, without equality, or as a result of coercion), you
MUST report, regardless of whether the suspected
offender is an adult or a minor
• It is not your obligation to investigate the suspected abuse
or verify factual allegations
• CPS and law enforcement will follow up to confirm
any abuse and to determine the appropriate course
of action
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The goal is to prevent abuse. How do you
minimize the risks?
• Set limits when children engage in behaviors
inappropriate to a particular setting
• Correct the inappropriate behavior and help them understand
appropriate boundaries
• This is also an opportunity for the child to talk about keeping
themselves and others safe; children who initiate overtly
sexual acts often have been victimized by an adult
beforehand
• Model appropriate, respectful behavior
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What can you do to prevent peer-on-peer
sexual abuse?
• Create open and transparent environments
• Create clear expectations of appropriate behavior, enforce
the rules, and follow up on violations
• Sexually explicit language and jokes are not appropriate
• There should be no sexual touching, grabbing, or pinching
• Even if the act is consensual, program rules should make it clear
that this is not the appropriate place for such activities
• In any overnight camp or field trips, boys and girls must
have separate dormitories
• Curfews should be announced and enforced
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Bullying & Hazing
• What is bullying?
• Bullying is overt, unwanted, repeated acts or gestures, including verbal or
written communications or images transmitted in any manner, physical
acts, aggression, or any other behaviors committed by one minor or group
against another with the intent to harass, ridicule, humiliate, intimidate or
harm the targeted minor. (IC 20-33-8-0.2)
• Bullying includes making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone
physically or verbally, and excluding someone on purpose
• Cyber-bullying can take place through any electronic means such as text
messages, emails, or social networking sites
• What is hazing?
• Hazing is any action taken or situation created that intentionally causes
embarrassment or risks emotional and/or physical harm to members of a
group regardless of their willingness to participate.
• “Hazing” as a criminal offense means forcing or requiring another person
(with or without consent), as a condition of association with a group or
organization, to perform an act that creates a substantial risk of bodily
injury (IC 35-42-2-2.5)
• Hazing is at least a B misdemeanor, and can be a felony act
(IC 35-42-2-2.5(b))
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Prevent Bullying
Early Childhood
• Model positive ways for children to make friends; practice ways
children can ask to join others or take turns. Coach older children
to reinforce these behaviors and praise children when they do
well.
• Help children learn the consequences of certain actions in ways
they can understand.
• Encourage children to tell an adult if they are ever treated in a way
that makes them feel uncomfortable, upset, or unhappy, or if they
witness another child being harmed.
• Set clear rules for behavior. Step in to quickly stop aggressive
behavior and redirect it before it occurs.
• Use age-appropriate consequences for aggressive behavior.
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Prevent Bullying
Older Children and Young Adults
• Encourage young adults to talk to someone they trust
• Determine the nature of the behavior. Especially among
adolescents and young adults, bullying behavior may
escalate to hazing, harassment, or stalking.
• Review campus codes of conduct, and if necessary, seek out help
for suspected criminal acts
• Report criminal acts to campus or community law enforcement
• Set clear expectations of behavior and enforce the rules
• Follow up on violations, use age and behavior appropriate
consequences
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Prevent and Report Hazing
• Ball State has a strict anti-hazing policy for its own students,
student organizations, groups or teams; this same standard
applies for groups of minors on campus
• Hazing occurs in both men’s and women’s organizations, and
is common among students in middle and high schools,
particularly athletic teams
• Adults should not encourage, condone, or ignore hazing. Do
not dismiss harmful behavior as “mere traditions.”
• Educate your teams or groups about hazing
• Use examples of hazing and non-hazing behavior
• Create non-hazing activities that promote team-building
• Make it clear that hazing is not tolerated
• Follow up on violations and implement appropriate
consequences, including dismissal from the team and
reporting to the program director and campus or local
law enforcement as appropriate
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Resources
Child Abuse Prevention and Reporting: Roles and Responsibilities,
Prevent Child Abuse of Delaware County, a Chartered Council of
Prevent Child Abuse Indiana
Code of Ethical Conduct and Statement of Commitment, a position
statement of the National Association for the Education of Young
Children, revised April 2005
The Safer Society Foundation, Inc.; www.safersociety.org
Stop It Now; www.stopitnow.org
National Coalition to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation;
www.preventtogether.org
Parents for Megan’s Law and the Crime Victims Center
www.ParentsforMegansLaw.org/public/prevention_childSexualAbuse.
html
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Resources
“Protecting Your Children: Advice from Child Molesters”
http://dcf.vermont.gov/sites/dcf/files/pdf/protectkids/Protecting_Your_Ch
ildren.pdf
“Child Sexual Abuse: Ten Ways to Protect Your Kids,” by Kathy Seifert,
Ph.D., D.A.B.P available at www.pyschologytoday.com
Ball State University Hazing Policy, Student Code—Appendix D,
available online at
http://cms.bsu.edu/about/administrativeoffices/studentrights/policiesand
procedures/studentcode/appendixd
Hazing Prevention; www.hazingprevention.org
Stop Bullying, www.stopbullying.gov
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Additional Resources
• Information about and for survivors of sexual abuse
• National Sexual Assault Hotline, available 24/7,
1-800-656-HOPE (4673)
• Rape, Abuse & Incest Network (RAINN), National Sexual Assault
Online Hotline, available 24/7 www.rainn.org
• Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers,
www.atsa.com
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