Working with minors and non-FAU students

OURI has put together some helpful resources for faculty interested in working with students who may still be under the age of 18. We recommend all faculty start by reviewing FAU’s Children in the Workplace Policy and FAU's Volunteer Policy. Faculty and the students conducting research should also review the FAU EH&S Policy on Minors in Research Laboratories or Animal Facilities. See the Office of Leadership Education and Development's Volunteer Policies page for more information about recruiting volunteers.

Faculty members must adhere to the following: 

• All faculty working with minors will need to initiate the Environmental Health and Safety Minors in the Lab Proposal outlined below
• Faculty must complete the Child Labor Law Certification form and the Minor Certification form and send both of these to EMPL@fau.edu
• Faculty also need to complete their own background check with Human Resources prior to initiating the Environmental Health and Safety Minors in the Lab Proposal to work with non-FAUHS minors. Note: For FAUHS students, faculty do not need to complete their own background checks with Human Resources prior to initiating the Environmental Health and Safety Minors in the Lab Proposal.

To determine which students are considered volunteers and which forms must be completed prior to having a student under the age of 18, please consider the following:

• Is the student receiving course credit or financial compensation for their work?
  •  YES:
    • These students are not considered volunteers and do not need to complete the FAU Volunteer Registration form
    • Students (and mentors) will need to initiate the Environmental Health and Safety Minors in the Lab Proposal outlined below
  • NO:
    • Students are considered volunteers and will need to be categorized either as a category 1 volunteer or a category 2 volunteer as specified here. The volunteer and their parent/guardian must complete the Parent/Legal Guardian Consent for Criminal Background Check form and send it to EMPL@fau.edu. There is a fee of approximately $20-65 associated with the completion of the background check. Below you will find the forms needed for each category of volunteer. 

• Category 1 volunteer students and their parent/guardian will need to complete:
  • The FAU Volunteer Registration form
  • The volunteer waiver and release form
  • The Parental/Guardian Authorization for Treatment of Minors Form
  • The background check parental consent form
    
    Forms should be submitted to EMPL@fau.edu. There is an approximately $20-$65 fee associated with the completion of the background check. These forms should be submitted to leadandserve@fau.edu. The department that the student is researching with should maintain a copy of the Authorization for Treatment of Minors form as well.

• Category 2 volunteer students and their parent/guardian must complete the volunteer waiver and release form and the Parental/Guardian Authorization for Treatment of Minors Form and submit to leadandserve@fau.edu

Environmental Health and Safety Minors in the Lab Proposal

Faculty must:

• At least 2 weeks before the start date of the research project, a Minors in the Lab Proposal must be submitted to EH&S for approval. Ensure that the student and their guardian(s) complete the Parental Informed Consent and Permission Submit the documents to ehs@fau.edu.
• If the student will be working with animals, review the IACUC Policy and Procedure for Children in Animal Facilities
• Have the student complete the appropriate workplace trainings as necessary and advised by EH&S