Texas Administrative Code › Title 25 - HEALTH SERVICES › Part 1 - DEPARTMENT OF STATE HEALTH SERVICES › Chapter 265 - GENERAL SANITATION › Subchapter B - TEXAS YOUTH CAMPS SAFETY AND HEALTH › Section 265.12 - Directors, Supervisors, and Staff

Current through Reg. 49, No. 28; July 12, 2024
(a)
				  On-site director required. Each youth camp shall be under the on-site direction
				  of a qualified adult with at least two years of experience working with
				  children. The director shall be knowledgeable in camp administrative practices
				  and shall have at least one year of leadership experience with an organized
				  youth camp, school or other youth-serving organization, such as the Boy Scouts
				  of America or Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA).
(b) Adult supervisors. Each youth camp shall
				  have at least one adult supervisor who is responsible for the supervision of no
				  more than ten children in the camp. For any youth camp specialized activity,
				  the supervisor(s) shall be in the immediate vicinity (within sight and/or
				  hearing) of the campers. An "all camp" sedentary activity, not requiring
				  physical activity must have at least one adult supervisor to every 25 campers.
				  The camp director shall not be included in the supervisor to camper ratio in
				  camps serving over 50 campers at one time.
(c) Supervision of youth camp specialized
				  activity. Youth camp specialized activities shall be conducted by and under the
				  direct supervision of a qualified adult capable of implementing safety
				  standards established by the department or the camp who shall have either
				  documented training or at least two years documented experience in conducting
				  the activity.
(d) Written personnel
				  policies and practices. A camp shall have written personnel policies and
				  practices for both campers and staff. Supervisors shall be informed of these
				  policies and practices prior to assuming responsibility for campers.
(e) Staff member character and integrity
				  records. The camp management shall ascertain and have on record information,
				  such as a letter of reference, attesting to the character and integrity of each
				  staff member, and information, such as training certificates, attesting to the
				  ability of each staff member to perform the tasks required in his or her
				  position.
(f) Criminal conviction
				  and sex offender background check requirements. The camp management shall have
				  on file a record of any criminal conviction and a sex offender registration
				  check for all adult staff members and all adult volunteers working at the camp
				  before the staff member or volunteer has unsupervised contact with children at
				  the camp. A criminal background check and sex offender registration check must
				  be on file for any other adult that will have unsupervised contact with
				  campers, other than their own children. If the records are located off-site, a
				  letter from the national or regional headquarters of the camp organization
				  stating the names of individuals at the camp site for whom background checks
				  have been conducted, shall be available at the camp site. All records of
				  criminal convictions and written evaluations for a camp or camping organization
				  shall be made available to department personnel within two business days upon
				  request. Youth camps are responsible for ensuring that criminal and sex
				  offender background checks have been conducted for international staff obtained
				  through the J-1 visa process, and that documentation of these checks are
				  located with other staff background checks. Records of criminal convictions and
				  sex offender status shall be obtained by:
(1)
				  performing an annual criminal background check using a criminal history
				  database for each adult staff member's and each adult volunteer's permanent
				  residence. If the staff member or adult volunteer has a temporary or an
				  educational residence, an annual criminal background check shall include
				  searching under the permanent, temporary and educational address, as
				  applicable. The criminal history database used for the criminal background
				  check is to be based on the individual's residences, and may include state,
				  national or international databases. Documentation of the search results,
				  whether or not the results are positive, shall be maintained with the sex
				  offender background documentation; and
(2) performing an annual background check
				  using a sex offender registration database for each adult staff member's and
				  each adult volunteer's permanent residence and educational residence if
				  applicable, such as the TXDPS - Sex Offender Registry, which may be accessed at
				  Texas Department of Public Safety - Crime Records Service. Documentation of the
				  search results, whether or not the results are positive, shall be maintained
				  with the criminal background documentation.