Transcript Reporting Requirements

Regulations and
Reporting
Rotary International
Department of State
Host family application
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Required by Rotary International for all
host families, all Rotary and non
Rotary Volunteers
The same is required by DOS
References
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A minimum of two personal references
for Rotary International. One can be a
Rotarian and must be non-Rotarian.
A minimum of two personal references
required by DOS.
Checking References
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You must talk with the listed
references to get their
recommendation (or lack of a
recommendation)
This is true for both RI and DOS
Retaining the
Applications
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Whether the application is for a host
family or a Rotarian/non Rotarian
volunteer, the district must collect the
applications from the participating
club. (dist may have separate
procedure-discuss)
District keeps the original. Sends
copies to the Responsible Officer.
Action to be taken
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Each applicant must have a criminal
background check. District Chair or
designated person must keep a copy of the
results of the background check for RI
Certification purposes.
A copy of every criminal background check
must be sent to the responsible officer.
Copies of host family and student monthly
checks are required by both RI and DOS.
How Long to Retain?
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The district chairman, or designated
person must keep all documents for a
period of 10 years.
Responsible officer must keep copies
for three years.
Why double records
keeping?
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We had to comply with RI guidelines in
order to become fully certified. With this
certification, we are allowed to conduct a
Rotary YEP. Part of RI guidelines is records
keeping. They specify 10 years.
The second set is a result of DOS
implementing a new program at the same
time RI was doing certification. They have
records retention requirements by
Responsible Officer as well.
Who checks?
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For RI requirements, it is not yet clear how
they will enforce retention requirements.
For DOS, there will be an annual audit. To
keep our certification with DOS the auditor
must confirm compliance with DOS
requirements. Thus it is essential that all
information regarding the inbound student
be forwarded to the Responsible officer.
What does Responsible
Officer need?
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1. A face copy of each inbound application.
2. A copy of the name page of the inbound’s
passport .
3. A copy of the inbound guarantee form.
The above items are secured by the Country
Contact and must be sent to Responsible
Officer as soon as received.
What else for Responsible
Officer?
1. Validation that the inbound student has arrived at the
sponsoring club and host family within 10 days of arrival.
 2. A written notice of any change of host family address
(change of host family) within 10 days of the change.
 3. A notice of any student returning home within 10 days of
the return.
 4 Immediate notification of any accusation of sexual abuse or
harassment.
The above can come by email or postal mail. Please do not
report on more than one student per each email. In the case
of sexual abuse or harassment, a phone call should be the
method of reporting, with a follow up written account. Can
use same reports that are sent to other Rotary people such as
O-E chair, etc.
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What do we include on
moves, etc. to Responsible
Officer?
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1. Students passport (or application) name.
2. Previous host family name and address.
3. New host family name and address.
4. Date of move.
5. New Phone number.
6. Family email address if available.
7. Return Date. If return is before June 1st, give
the reasons. For example, completed High School,
disciplinary (give nature), homesickness, etc. DOS
needs a reason entered in SEVIS for every
returning student.
What about students
returning in July or Aug?
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To clear out the SEVIS records, I need
to make an entry that the student has
returned home. I still give a reason.
For everyone leaving after school is
out, I simply list them as having
completed the program. Others need
more specific reason supplied by
Districts.
Why is it so important to
be on time with reports?
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We have to get a re-designation from DOS
every two years. They review us according
to past performance. They could pull our
designation at any time, and they have
done so for at least one other program. By
the end of July every year I have to send a
report to the department of State outlining
our performance over the past year. The
audit procedure is new, beginning July 2007.
Does DOS care about
getting students placed on a
timely basis?
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This is critical. There have been several
high level meetings at the Department of
State to discuss planned inbounds for whom
programs had not secured school
placements by August 1st. Stanley Coven
expressed dissatisfaction with this and had
his office call all program RO’s to ask
specifically where they stand. Fortunately,
when I received my call, all students had
host schools and host families in place.
So we have until July 31
to make our placements?
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NO! NO! NO! The program start date for each student is the
first day of school. If school starts on August 6th, for
example, and the student is placed on July 20th, it is virtually
impossible for that student to arrive for the start of school.
By DOS regulations, the student record is automatically listed
as “INVALID” or “NO SHOW” in SEVIS if he/she has not
entered the country within 30 days after the school start date.
In this example, the record would change on August 19th.
Even though the school may accept a late student, he/she
cannot get here within 30 days of placement in most cases.
In specific cases, the RO may get an extension of time with
good reason.
Why?
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There is processing and mailing time.
The student has to pay an I 901 fee before going for VISA
interview.
The fee cannot be paid without the DS 2019 number.
After fee is paid, an appointment is made with a US
Consulate.
Sometimes it takes 60 days for the VISA interview.
The desirable time frame is to place the student at least 75
days before the first day of school. Most of our schools start
around August 26th. Count backwards. Obviously the
students must be placed and all paperwork in the hands of
the Responsible Officer by the beginning of June.
Interesting! Anything
else?
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Do not attempt to place a student who will
be more than 18 years and six month old on
the first day of school.
Country contact must make first check.
District officers must make a second check
before sending app to club. For example, a
student may be to old for Tennessee but OK
for Michigan. Let’s catch these and move
applications around as necessary. Don’t
wait until June to discover the student is too
old for your district.
How do contacts
determine this?
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Country contacts do not necessarily
know school start dates. District
officers, in general, do know this.
Compile this information and send to
the Chief Country Contact to avoid
pitfalls with the older students. Also,
If your schools will not take students
over 17 ½, let us know that as well.
Can you review other
aspects of our DOS
certification?
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Sure.
1.The Sponsoring organization (O-E) must
be a 501(C3) Organization.
2. Must conduct the exchange program on a
US academic calendar year basis except for
those coming from Southern Hemisphere.
3. All officers, volunteers and host families
must be given adequate training.
4. No organizational Representative can act
as both host family and area supervisor.
Continuation of regs
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5. Sponsors must maintain a log of host
family and student contacts. A minimum of
a check of each on a monthly basis is
required.
6 Assure the school has contact information
for the local organizational representative
and the sponsor’s main office (Responsible
Officer or Dist Chair).
Continuation of regs:
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7. Maintain copies of all written
acceptances, applications, logs,
background checks, etc. and make
available to the Auditor.
8. Sponsor must notify the accepting
school of any student who has already
completed secondary school in his/her
country.
Continuation of regs:
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Sponsors must provide the following to each inbound student
before they arrive:
1. Summary of operating procedures, rules and regulations
governing participation in the EVP. (part of our application
process)
2. Detailed summary of travel arrangements. (Country
contacts get copy of itinerary. Send to Rotary counterpart)
3. A detailed profile of school, community and host family.
4. An ID card. (can be given to student upon arrival. Card
must include student’s name, US address, phone numbers.
5. Age and language appropriate information on how to
identify and report sexual abuse or exploitation. (Our abuse
brochure, DVD, first orientation, etc.)
Anything else?
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1. Host families must be carefully screened.
2. They must be given a detailed summary of our program
and the parameters of their participation, duties and
obligations.
We must use standard app forms that must be signed and
dated by all potential host family applicants.
Exchange students are NOT permitted to live with relatives.
Conduct an interview of all family members residing in the
home. (Just mom or dad alone is not satisfactory. Also,
children over 18 must be interviewed as well.)
Of Special Note:
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Sponsors must immediately file with DOS
the following information:
1. Any incident or allegation involving the
actual or alleged sexual exploitation or
abuse of an exchange student participant.
The incident must also be reported as
required by local or state statute or
regulation, to local law enforcement officers.
2. Failure to make such reports shall be
grounds for summary suspension and
termination of the Sponsor’s designation.