Status: Adopted
Effective Date: September 2,2026
Youth Safety Lead: Cathy Giordano
Deputy Youth Safety Lead: Nathan Hoffman
The Society of Wit & Wonder exists to create a place where young people can create, connect, contribute, experiment, learn, and belong.
The physical and emotional safety of every young person entrusted to the Society is fundamental to that mission.
All Society employees, instructors, volunteers, Board members, contractors, Junior Leaders, visitors, and program participants are expected to help maintain an environment in which young people are protected from abuse, neglect, exploitation, harassment, bullying, retaliation, and inappropriate adult behavior.
An Authorized Adult is an individual age 18 or older who has been approved by the Society to supervise or work directly with minors.
An adult must complete the Society's Authorized Adult clearance process if the individual:
Occasional visitors, audience members, parents attending an event, guest presenters, or supervised helpers are not automatically Authorized Adults and may not independently supervise minors.
Authorized Adults must successfully complete the Society's required screening before being permitted independent responsibility for minors.
Screening will include an appropriate criminal background check and any additional screening required by law, the Society's insurer, or the Board.
Screening will normally be renewed every two years. The Society may require more frequent screening when required by law, insurance, program circumstances, or safety concerns.
An individual will be automatically disqualified from serving as an Authorized Adult when a conviction, guilty or no-contest plea, substantiated finding, registration requirement, or other official determination involves:
Other criminal history or concerning screening information will be reviewed individually based upon relevance to youth safety, recency, severity, role responsibilities, applicable law, and insurer requirements.
The Society reserves the right to deny or revoke Authorized Adult status when it reasonably determines that doing so is necessary to protect minors.
Authorized Adults must complete a Texas Department of State Health Services-approved youth protection training program accepted by the Society before beginning unsupervised work with minors.
Training will normally be renewed at least every two years or more frequently when required by law, insurance, or Board policy.
The Society will maintain documentation of completed training.
Society programming will follow the principle:
Two Authorized Adults or Open and Observable.
Whenever reasonably possible, two Authorized Adults should be present during youth programming.
When only one Authorized Adult is present with one or more minors, activities must occur in an open, readily observable environment.
Adults and minors may not intentionally isolate themselves in locked, concealed, or otherwise unobservable spaces.
Cameras may provide an additional safety safeguard but do not replace open-and-observable supervision requirements.
One-on-one instruction is permitted when it occurs in an environment readily observable by others.
Acceptable arrangements may include:
One-on-one sessions may not occur in a locked or concealed room.
Appropriate affection can be part of a supportive community. However, adults are responsible for maintaining clear boundaries.
Affectionate physical contact, including hugs, must be:
Adults may not pressure, request, manipulate, tease, or guilt a young person into physical affection.
Sexualized contact, corporal punishment, inappropriate touching, adult-initiated lap sitting, massages, or other contact inconsistent with appropriate adult-youth boundaries is prohibited.
Society restrooms designated for individual use will be occupied by only one person at a time except when assistance is necessary because of disability, age, medical need, or emergency.
Whenever changing clothing is required for a Society activity, reasonable private changing options will be provided.
No participant will be required to undress in the presence of another participant or adult.
The Society will handle individual privacy needs respectfully and in accordance with applicable law, safety requirements, facility limitations, and the dignity of the participant.
Transportation of minors on behalf of the Society requires written parent or guardian authorization.
Drivers must:
Transportation arrangements outside normal Society programming may require additional written authorization.
Unless the Board adopts additional overnight-program procedures, Society overnight events involving minors will be family-attended.
Parents or guardians retain responsibility for supervising their own children during overnight hours.
Official Society communication concerning programs and participants must occur through Society-approved accounts, systems, or platforms.
Adults working on behalf of the Society may not use personal social-media accounts, disappearing-message services, private gaming accounts, or other unapproved private channels for individual communication with minors.
Society communication systems should preserve appropriate organizational oversight and records whenever reasonably possible.
Parents or guardians will serve as the primary official contact for minor participants. Age-appropriate youth communication may occur through Society-approved systems consistent with this policy.
Photography and video permissions will be collected as part of participant registration.
Families will be provided meaningful choices regarding identifiable photography or video of their child.
Adults may not use images of Society minors for personal promotional, commercial, or social-media purposes without appropriate authorization.
The Society prohibits:
The Society's Member Code of Conduct establishes additional participant expectations.
The Society will comply with Texas mandatory-reporting law.
Any person who has reasonable cause to believe that a child's physical or mental health or welfare has been adversely affected by abuse or neglect must make the legally required report.
A person must not delay an external report while seeking permission, investigating the allegation, contacting parents, or notifying Society leadership.
A professional who is subject to Texas's professional reporting requirements may not delegate the responsibility to another person.
If a child appears to be in immediate danger, call 911 or appropriate emergency law enforcement.
Society internal reporting procedures never replace a legally required external report.
When a young person discloses possible abuse, neglect, exploitation, or other serious misconduct, the adult should:
An allegation that an employee, instructor, volunteer, contractor, Board member, or other Society adult engaged in conduct that may endanger a minor will be taken seriously.
When appropriate for safety, the individual may immediately be placed on Administrative Safety Leave or otherwise removed from youth contact while required reporting, fact gathering, and external investigation occur.
Administrative Safety Leave is a protective measure and is not a determination of guilt.
The Society will cooperate with law enforcement, child-protection authorities, insurers, and other appropriate authorities.
The Society will not conduct an internal inquiry in a manner that interferes with an official investigation.
Safety concerns involving two or more minors will be documented.
The Society will:
For an immediate threat to life or physical safety, Society personnel should call 911 first.
Society emergency procedures will address, at minimum:
The Society will maintain separate operational emergency procedures and train appropriate adults on their use.
Youth-safety information will be kept as confidential as reasonably possible.
Information may be shared with individuals who need it to:
No Society representative may promise absolute confidentiality when a safety concern is disclosed.
Retaliation against a young person, parent, employee, volunteer, Board member, or other individual for making a good-faith safety report, participating in an investigation, or raising a concern is prohibited.
The Board will appoint a Youth Safety Lead and at least one Deputy Youth Safety Lead.
They will oversee:
The Youth Safety Lead does not replace any person's individual legal duty to report suspected abuse or neglect.
If an allegation involves the Youth Safety Lead, the Deputy Youth Safety Lead or another Board-designated individual will assume the relevant internal responsibilities.
Violations of this policy may result in:
This policy will be reviewed at least annually and whenever significant changes in law, insurance requirements, Society programming, facilities, or identified safety needs warrant review.
The Board may amend this policy as necessary to strengthen youth protection.
Operational procedures consistent with this policy may be updated without full policy amendment when the changes do not materially reduce Board-approved protections.