External Organizations

Welcome to Cal Poly!

At Cal Poly, we prioritize the safety, well-being, and personal growth of everyone in our Youth Programs. External organizations play an important role in providing educational, recreational, cultural, and enrichment opportunities for youth.

External organizations that operate youth programs, camps, events, or activities at Cal Poly are responsible for the safety, supervision, and well-being of participants while delivering engaging opportunities that foster learning, creativity, leadership, and personal growth. This page provides information, resources, and guidance to help external organizations understand applicable requirements and expectations when hosting youth activities.

External Organizations may not operate their programs on Cal Poly property until their program has been registered, approved, is fully compliant, and has received an approval letter from Cal Poly Youth Protection Program Via Ideal Logic.

Care of Youth Requirements for External Organizations

External organizations that bring youth (individuals under the age of 18) onto Cal Poly property are responsible for providing a safe and supervised environment for all participants. The following requirements apply to youth activities conducted by external organizations on campus.

Child Abuse Prevention

External organizations must comply with the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act (CANRA) and all other applicable laws related to the protection of youth.

Supervision of Youth

The sponsoring organization is responsible for the care, custody, supervision, and safety of all youth participating in its activities while on Cal Poly property.

Before participation, organizations must obtain:

• Written permission from a parent or legal guardian for each youth to participate.
• Completed emergency medical consent forms for each participant.

Required Adult-to-Youth Supervision Ratios

External organizations must maintain, at a minimum, the adult-to-youth supervision ratios recommended by the American Camp Association (ACA).

Training and Background Screening

All adults (18 years of age or older), including employees and volunteers who supervise youth, must:

• Receive appropriate training on preventing, recognizing, and reporting child abuse.
• Successfully complete a criminal background check before supervising youth.
• Complete, at a minimum, a search of the National Sex Offender Registry.

Individuals who are required to register with the California Sex Offender Registry or the National Sex Offender Registry are prohibited from serving in any capacity for a youth program conducted on Cal Poly property.

External organizations are responsible for all costs associated with required background screenings.

Cal Poly Conference & Event Planning (CEP), campus partners, and Cal Poly reserve the right to review documentation demonstrating compliance with background screening requirements.

Abuse Reporting Procedures

Organizations must maintain written procedures for responding to reports or allegations of child abuse involving program participants or personnel. These procedures must be provided to Risk Management before the program begins.

Reporting Incidents

Any incident or allegation involving child abuse, neglect, or sexual misconduct involving a youth or an adult participating in the program must be reported to the appropriate Cal Poly representative and Risk Management within 24 hours after the organization becomes aware of the incident or allegation. To report incidents or concerns contact Youth Protection Programs at (805) 756-0842, emailing us at youthprograms@calpoly.edu, or filing an incident report.

Parent- or Guardian-Supervised Youth

These requirements do not apply to youth who remain under the direct care and supervision of their own parent or legal guardian while on Cal Poly property.

Insurance Requirements for External Organizations

External organizations conducting youth programs or events on Cal Poly property are required to maintain insurance coverage that protects participants, the organization, and the University. Proof of insurance must be submitted and approved before activities begin.

Evidence of Insurance

Organizations must provide the following to Cal Poly Risk Management and receive approval no later than 10 business days before the start of the event or program:

• Certificate of Insurance (COI)
• Required Additional Insured Endorsement(s)
• Any other insurance documentation requested by Cal Poly Risk Management

Activities may not begin until all required insurance documentation has been reviewed and accepted.

Minimum Insurance Requirements

Organizations must maintain insurance coverage meeting or exceeding the following minimum limits.

Business Automobile Liability coverage should include owned, hired, scheduled, and non-owned vehicles used in connection with the event or program. *provided that vehicles are used as part of the program

• Insurance Carrier Requirements

  Insurance policies must:

  • Be issued by insurers with a current A.M. Best rating of A:VII or better.
  • Remain in effect for the entire duration of the program or event, including any early arrivals or late departures.
  • Provide at least 30 days' written notice of cancellation to Cal Poly Partners.
• Claims Made Policies

  If any of the required policies provide claims-made coverage:

  • The Retroactive Date must be shown, and must be before the date of the contract or the beginning of contract work.
  • Insurance must be maintained and evidence of insurance must be provided for at least five (5) years after completion of the contract of work.
  • If coverage is canceled or non-renewed, and not replaced with another claims-made policy form with a Retroactive Date prior to the contract effective date, Company must purchase “extended reporting” coverage for a minimum of five (5) years after completion of work.
• Additional Insured Requirement

  Commercial General Liability, Abuse and Molestation Liability, and Automobile Liability policies must name the following as Additional Insureds:

  The state of California, California State University (CSU), the Trustees of California State University, California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly Partners, and their officers, employees, representatives, volunteers, and agents, with respect to liability arising out of the Event

  A certificate of insurance alone is not sufficient to satisfy this requirement. Organizations must provide the required Additional Insured Endorsement(s).

• Primary Coverage

  The organization's insurance is required to be primary for claims arising from its activities. Any insurance maintained by Cal Poly, Cal Poly Partners, or the California State University will be considered excess and will not contribute to the organization's coverage.

  Organizations must also ensure that their insurer waives any rights of subrogation against Cal Poly, Cal Poly Partners, the California State University, and the other entities listed above, when required by the agreement.

• Subcontractors

  If subcontractors will be involved in the event or program, they must either:

  • Be covered under the organization's insurance policy, or
  • Maintain insurance that meets Cal Poly's minimum insurance requirements.
• Deductibles and Self-Insured Retentions

  Organizations must disclose any deductibles or self-insured retentions (SIRs). Cal Poly reserves the right to review and approve these amounts.

• Ongoing Compliance

  Maintaining the required insurance coverage throughout the duration of the event or program is a condition of participation. Cal Poly Risk Management reserves the right to request complete insurance policies, endorsements, or additional documentation at any time to verify compliance.

  Failure to maintain the required insurance coverage or provide requested documentation may result in cancellation of the event, termination of the agreement, or denial of access to Cal Poly property.

Steps to Hosting a Youth Program at Cal Poly

1. Register your program with Cal Poly Risk Management here. You are required to submit your registration no later than 60 days prior to the start of your program.
   1. Submit your registration with insurance documents, Safety Plan and Abuse Reporting Procedures
   2. CEP is your Sponsoring Department
2. Contract with Conference and Event Planning (CEP)

Resources for External Organizations

We’ve compiled helpful resources to assist you in understanding youth protection policies and hosting a safe program:

• Recognizing and Preventing Abuse
• Participant & Parent Handbook
• Youth Program Code of Conduct
• Consent for Medical Treatment of Youth
• Parent/Guardian Participation Agreement
• Pickup, Drop-off or Commuter Permission Form
• Visual-Audio Image Release Form

Reporting Incidents or Issues

You are required to report any incidents, issues or concerns related to youth programs at Cal Poly, please contact Youth Protection Programs at (805) 756-0842, emailing us at youthprograms@calpoly.edu, or filing an incident report.