[HISTORY: Adopted by the Township of Washington (now Township of
Robbinsville) 7-8-2004 by Ord. No. 2004-27.
Amendments noted where applicable.]
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings
indicated:
- VOLUNTEER
- A person who has direct, nonsupervised and ongoing interaction in the course of his/her service with minors. This includes, but is not limited to, a coach, assistant coach and manager of a team.
- YOUTH-SERVING ORGANIZATION
- Any corporation, association or other organization which provides recreational, cultural, charitable and social activities for persons younger than 18 years of age.
Any youth serving organization, as a condition of utilizing Township
facilities, must have an officer of the organization annually certify by affidavit,
subject to the penalty of perjury, that:
A.
Each employee and volunteer has submitted to a state
and federal criminal history background check including fingerprinting which
has been processed by the State Police in accordance with the statutes and
regulations;
B.
That each employee and volunteer has been approved to
work with youth by the State Police; and
C.
That the criminal history background check of each employee
and volunteer has been completed within three years of the date of the affidavit.
A.
Any Township employee or a volunteer who interacts with
minors of age directly, in a direct, nonsupervised and ongoing basis, prior
to commencement of work or volunteer service, shall submit to a state and
federal criminal history background check including fingerprinting conducted
by the State Police in accordance with statute and regulations. Each such
employee or volunteer must be approved by the State Police to work with youth.
B.
The Township Administrator in conjunction with the Chief
of Police shall establish guidelines to implement this policy.
C.
The Township will bear all costs associated with obtaining
the state and federal criminal history background checks of Township employees
and volunteers.
The Township shall not permit any exemptions to this policy.
In the event the State Police will not perform the criminal history
background check for a youth group which utilizes Township facilities, the
Township may submit the application for state and federal criminal history
background checks on its behalf. The youth group shall pay all fees associated
with the criminal history background checks.
Any violation of this chapter by a youth-serving organization is considered
a serious threat to the health and life of the youth of the Township. As a
result, upon violation, the Township may suspend or terminate use of Township
facilities, and the youth-service organization and the officer who executed
the affidavit shall be subject to fines and other penalties. In determining
the remedy such factors as whether the breach was intentional, the severity
of the noncompliance, and the good-faith steps taken to cure the violation
should be considered.