HomeMy WebLinkAboutORD 2026-12 - Updating Ch. 8.40 Standards of Care for Youth Recreation ProgramsORDINANCE NO. .201 o — 12
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF GEORGETOWN, TEXAS,
ADOPTING CHAPTER 8.40 OF THE CODE OF ORDINANCES
RELATING TO ESTABLISHING MINIMUM STANDARDS OF CARE
FOR YOUTH RECREATION PROGRAMS; PROVIDING A
SEVERABILITY CLAUSE; REPEALING CONFLICTING
ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS; AND ESTABLISHING AN
EFFECTIVE DATE.
WHEREAS, the City's Parks and Recreation Department has determined that
certain minimum standards of care are necessary to health, safety, and welfare of
individuals participating in youth recreation programs; and
WHEREAS, the State of Texas Human Resources Code Chapter 42 exempts certain
after -school and summer recreation programs from state licensing requirements as
identified in Subsection 42.041(14) stating "an elementary -age (ages 5-13) recreation
program operated by a municipality provided the governing body of the municipality
annually adopts standards of care by ordinance after a public hearing for such programs,
that such standards are provided to the parents of each program participant, and that the
ordinances shall include, at a minimum, staffing ratios, minimum staff qualifications,
minimum facility, health, and safety standards, and mechanisms for monitoring and
enforcing the adopted local standards; and further provided that parents be informed
that the program is not licensed by the state and the program may not be advertised as a
child-care facility;" and
WHEREAS, the City Council, at a meeting on Ma J\ 1 of ZOZ(, held a public
hearing prior to adopting Chapter 8.40 of the Code of Ordinances regarding Standards of
Care for Youth Recreation Programs; and
WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Georgetown finds it to be in the best
interest of the citizens of Georgetown to adopt Chapter 8.40 of the Code of Ordinances
regarding Standards of Care for Youth Recreation Programs.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY OF GEORGETOWN,
THAT:
SECTION 1. The facts and recitations contained in the preamble of this ordinance
are hereby found and declared to be true and correct and are incorporated by reference
herein and expressly made a part hereof, as if copied verbatim. The City Council hereby
Ordinance No. �Og (0 — 1 ),_ Page 1 of 2
Parks and Recreation Standards of Care
Date Approved: McAZrA& 2K , 2021r
finds that this Ordinance implements the vision, goals, and policies of the Georgetown
2030 Comprehensive Plan and further finds that the enactment of this ordinance is not
inconsistent or in conflict with any other policies or provisions of the 2030
Comprehensive Plan.
SECTION 2. It is hereby determined upon the basis of requirements set forth in
the Texas Human Resource Code, the City of Georgetown shall be exempt from Texas
Child Care Services regulations.
SECTION 3. Chapter 8.40 of the Code of Ordinance of the City of Georgetown is
hereby amended in its entirety and shall provide as shown in Exhibit "A."
SECTION 4. All ordinances and parts of ordinances that are in conflict with this
ordinance are hereby repealed, and are no longer of any force and effect.
SECTION 5. If any provision of this ordinance or application thereof to any
person or circumstance, shall be held invalid, such invalidity shall not affect the other
provisions, or application thereof, of this ordinance which can be given effect without the
invalid provision or application, and to this end the provisions of this ordinance are
hereby declared to be severable.
SECTION 6. The Mayor is hereby authorized to sign this ordinance and the City
Secretary to attest. This ordinance shall become effective in accordance with the
provisions of state law and the City Charter of the City of Georgetown.
PASSED AND APPROVED on FIRST READING on this Pi ay of '�cA, 2026.
PASSED AND APPROVED on SECOND READING/n t is z4z""-aay of kmak 2026.
ATTEST: C4OF"GEORGETOWN, TEXAS
Robyn De more, City Secretary Jo Schroeder
yor--
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
JAI
Skye Masson, City Attorney
Ordinance No. ZoZ1G — I I- Page 2 of 2
Parks and Recreation Standards of Care
Date Approved: 1" AELM tA& 9-k . 7j?g*
Exhibit A
Code of Ordinances
Adopting Chapter 8.40
Sec. 8.40. – Standards of Care for Youth Recreation Programs
Sec. 8.40.010. - Definitions.
“City Council” means the City Council of the City of Georgetown, Texas.
"Department" means the Parks and Recreation Department.
"Director" means the director of the Parks and Recreation Department.
"Designee" means a person appointed by the director to act on the director's behalf.
"Facility" means a building or improvement operated or used by the department in
conducting a recreational program.
"Participant" means a child age five to 13 years old that is enrolled in a recreational
program and is under the supervision of department staff.
"Staff" means a person who is employed by the department to work in a recreational
program.
"Parent" means legal guardian of a participant.
“Recreation Superintendent” means a full-time professional employee assigned
responsibility for management of day-to-day operations of all recreational programs.
“Recreation Supervisor” means a full-time employee assigned responsibility of
management of one area of the Recreation Department. Responsible for overseeing the
area’s planning, implementation, staff training, scheduling, supervision, and
enforcement.
"Youth Recreation Programs and Camp Programs” or “Camp Programs” means a fee-
based children's program or activity offered and supervised by the department that
requires a participant to enroll or register to participate
"Youth Recreation and Camp Program Staff” or “Camp Program Staff" means a person
responsible for the direct care or supervision of participants, including volunteers and
contractors. The term excludes a person whose primary duties include administration,
clerical support, or facility maintenance.
Sec. 8.40.020. - Purpose.
The purpose of the standards of care established in this chapter is to protect children
who participate in City of Georgetown recreation programs. The standards of care set
forth in this chapter are intended to be the minimum standards by which the
Georgetown Parks and Recreation Department will operate its youth recreation
programs which are recreational in nature and not designated as childcare programs.
Sec. 8.40.030. - Participant and Camp Program Staff Ratios.
a) Camp programs shall have no greater than a ten to one (10:1) ratio of
participants to camp program staff for children zero to four years of age.
b) Camp programs shall have no greater than a 15 to one (15:1) ratio of participants
to camp program staff for children five to nine years of age.
c) Camp programs shall have no greater than a 17 to one (17:1) ratio of participants
to camp program staff for children 10 to 13 years of age.
d) Each participant should have a program employee who is responsible for him or
her and who is aware of details of the participant's habits, interests, and any
special problems as identified by the participant's parents during the
registration process.
Sec. 8.40.040. – Minimum Qualifications for Youth Program and Camp
Program Staff
a. Youth Recreation and Camp Program Staff must be at least 16 years of age.
b. At least 50 percent of camp program staff must possess certification from a
nationally recognized body in First Aid; and Community CPR or equivalent.
c. Camp program staff must complete a camp program staff orientation including,
but not limited to:
1. An overview of the City of Georgetown's Standards of Care; and
2. Policies including discipline, guidance, and the release of participants;
and
3. An overview of symptoms of child abuse, neglect, and sexual abuse and
the responsibility of reporting these; and
4. The procedures to follow in handling emergencies include but are not
limited to fire, explosion, tornado, toxic fumes, volatile persons, and
severe injury or illness of a child or adult; and
5. The use and locations of fire extinguishers and first aid equipment.
Sec. 8.40.050. - Employment Restrictions.
a) Criminal background checks will be conducted on prospective camp program
staff. The following convictions, including deferred adjudication and pretrial
diversions, regardless of when the conviction occurred will render applicants
ineligible for participation with Georgetown Parks and Recreation Camp
Programs:
b) Any drug distribution activity, including misdemeanor or felony; Rape;
Aggravated Assault; Child Abuse or Molestation; Murder; Kidnapping; or any
other felony or crime involving moral turpitude, which involves acts of physical
violence.
c) The following convictions within ten years from the date of application for
employment will render applicants ineligible for participation with Georgetown
Parks and Recreation Camp Programs:
d) Any drug related activity, including misdemeanor or felony; Assault; or any other
felony or crime involving moral turpitude which does not involve acts of physical
violence.
Sec. 8.40.060. - Minimum Building Standards.
a) The facilities and equipment used do not present any known fire, health, or
safety hazards and are kept free of accumulations of objectionable debris.
b) The facility shall be subject to an annual safety inspection.
c) The facility shall reasonably be kept free of insects, rodents, and stray animals.
d) Facility buildings shall maintain clearly marked emergency exits.
e) A disaster and evacuation procedure shall be posted at the facility.
f) First-aid kits and infection control kits shall be available at the facility and taken
to other locations at which the participants are engaged in program activities.
g) First-aid guidelines shall be on file and available at the facility.
h) The facility shall have a sufficient number of restrooms maintained in good
repair and equipped for independent use by children and designed to permit
staff supervision as needed.
Sec. 8.40.070. - Minimum Health and Safety Standards.
a) A participant who is ill or injured shall be supervised until the participant is
released to a parent or other authorized person.
b) A participant whose illness or medical condition requires a degree of supervision
by staff that would compromise the health or safety of the other participants
shall be kept separate from the other participants until the participant is
removed from the facility.
c) A participant whose illness or medical condition prevents the participant from
comfortably participating in program activities or places other participants at
risk may not be admitted or readmitted to the facility for the duration of the
illness or condition.
d) A staff member may not administer medication to a participant without a written
parental medication authorization. Staff may not knowingly administer
medication that is not in its original container or that is past the expiration date
on the container.
e) A staff member may not administer an amount of medication that is inconsistent
with the prescribed dosage and parental direction. A staff member shall return
the unused medication to the parent on the last program day.
f) Medication should be kept in a secure location that is not accessible by
participants.
g) A staff member shall maintain a medication and first aid log.
h) In accordance with Section 341.0646 of the Health and Safety Code, a staff
member shall provide children participating in organized water activities with
personal flotation devices when required. A staff member shall ensure the
children wearing the personal flotation devices are properly fitted and fastened.
Sec. 8.40.080. - Mechanisms for Monitoring and Enforcing Standards.
The camp director or designee shall monitor the camp programs for adherence to the
minimum standards stated in this document.
These inspection reports shall be documented and submitted to the Recreation
Supervisor and Recreation Superintendent to be kept on file.
• Sec. 8.40.090. - Review.
This Chapter will expire one year after its effective date.
• Sec. 8.40.100. - Recommendation for Amendment or Re-adoption.
No later than April 1 of each year, the director or the designee shall review the local
standards of care for potential amendments and recommend any amendments to the