Child Safety
11.1 UNATTENDED CHILDREN
The Canby Public Library is dedicated to providing a welcoming environment that encourages children to visit the library, attend programs, and use the library collections and computers. However, the Canby Public Library does not assume responsibility for a child’s safety and supervision.
Per Oregon Revised Statutes (ORS) 163.545, parents, legal guardians, and caregivers must adequately supervise children less than 10 years of age. Adequate supervision is defined as having a parent/guardian or assigned caregiver in the immediate vicinity (within sight and conversational distance). Children 10 and older may use the library unattended provided they maintain proper behavior. Staff is authorized to contact appropriate authorities if a situation appears to be dangerous or neglectful to a child, or if a parent/guardian or caregiver cannot be located or contacted within 30 minutes or if a child is suspected to be truant. The library is not responsible for children who are left unattended as of library closing time. Failure to comply with this policy may result in suspension of library privileges.
11.2 CHILD/VULNERABLE ADULT SAFETY
Library employees and volunteers who work with youth (under age 18) and vulnerable adults should observe the two-person rule or open-door policy. The two-person rule requires that employees make every reasonable effort to avoid situations where an employed or volunteer worker is alone with a child or youth in a closed room with no outside visual contact. The open-door policy requires any solid panel door be open at all times an employee or volunteer worker is alone with a child or youth. Staff members are prohibited from transporting a minor child, taking away a minor child from the library building, or remaining in a building alone with a minor child.
11.3 REQUIREMENT TO REPORT CHILD ABUSE
Child abuse is a crime. The passage of HB 4016 expanded the definition of mandatory reporters to include all “employee(s) or volunteers of a public or private organization providing child-related services or activities that allow the employee(s) or volunteers(s) temporary care, control or supervision of a child…” The state legislature decided to relieve a narrow group of mandatory reporters from the duty to report if the communication is privileged under ORS 40.225 to 40.295. Library employees are not within the narrow group of mandatory reporters that are exempt from the duty to report.
ORS 419B.010 establishes the duty to report and does not relieve a person of that duty (or of civil liability for failing to report) because of the confidentiality of library records. As a mandatory reporter, a library employee is to report, if known, names and addresses of the child and parents or other persons caring for the child, the age of the child, the nature and extent of the abuse, including any evidence of previous abuse, the explanation given for the abuse, and any other information to the Department of Humans Services (DHS), a local police department, county sheriff, county juvenile department, or the Oregon State Police.
