Frequently Asked Questions

The policy defines a covered program as "A program or activity that is specifically designed for Minors as the participants, that is offered or sponsored by an academic or other administrative unit of the University (whether held on or off University Premises) or by a non-University entity operating on University Premises, and that has supervisory responsibility for the Minor participants."

It is NOT within the discretion of a program administrator to determine whether a program is covered under the policy; however, there are some things to consider when seeking determination of whether your programs is covered. See the chart on our “Get Started” page for general guidelines. Please contact YPPS with specific questions.

A youth program requires approval from an appropriate Director, Dean, or Department Head. YPPS and OEO/AA will work with programs to determine whether or not they are covered under the policy.  In addition, OEO/AA will conduct random audits to evaluate a program's compliance with the Safety of Minors Policy. If a program is found to be non-compliant OEO/AA and YPPS will work with that program to guide them in to compliance. Additionally, the policy does state that “failure to comply with the requirements set forth in the policy may lead to disciplinary action and revocation of permission to use University Premises.”

The one-time, discrete event exemption is not a full exemption from the policy requirements. However, it does provide discrete, one-time events with a large number of volunteers (science fair, LEGO League) with feasible alternatives to meet policy requirements.  One-time exemptions must be pre-approved by YPPS or OEO/AA. Please contact YPPS for details.

The policy defines an authorized adult as "an individual who is 18 years of age or older, who is authorized to care for, interact with, supervise, chaperone, or otherwise have access or contact with a Minor in a Covered Program."

If you have questions about determining the Authorized Adults in your program, please contact YPPS.

The Program Administrator is responsible for record maintenance related to compliance with the policy. YPPS does not manage that information. Programs that have been registered in the YPPS database will have access to that information at any time.

Yes. Third parties hosting programs or activities on University of Utah premises are required to comply with the Safety of Minors Policy. The same criterion that applies to a U program is used to determine whether a third-party program falls under the policy. Please see the Program Resources: Non-University of Utah Program information.

If a staff member has been hired by the University and received a new-hire background check within the last 3 years, that satisfies the background check requirement. A subsequent background check will need to be run 3 years from the date of the new-hire check.

The only external background checks that the University will accept are checks run by the State Department of Health for Educational or Childcare purposes and must have been run within the last 3 years. The staff member will need to provide proof of the background check (including the date run).

The background check can be done through any vendor of your choice, but must meet standards approved by the University, which shall include utilizing both a national criminal history database and sex offender registry database.

If a staff member does not pass a Safety of Minors background check, OEO will receive notice and contact you if it is something that disqualifies that staff member from working with minors. If you are aware of something in a staff member’s background, you must contact OEO to determine if it is disqualifying.