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BotsIQ Volunteer Conduct Policy
BotsIQ serves youth. BotsIQ volunteers teach valuable lessons in their conduct with students. Adult misconduct with or in the presence of youth carries serious consequences. Because BotsIQ cares that its volunteers have healthy, appropriate relationships with the youth they serve, it has established the following standards.
1. Young people look to adults for examples of appropriate behavior. BotsIQ volunteers must use appropriate language and model honorable behavior, such as respect, integrity, honesty, and excellence. Profanity or sexualized language or jokes are inappropriate when working with students, regardless of whether it occurs face-to-face, over the Internet, or by any other means. BotsIQ strictly forbids violating any state law regarding interactions with youth; for example, providing them alcohol or legal or illegal drugs, or coaxing them into illicit relationships over the Internet or otherwise.
2. Volunteers must take particular care when touching youth. Most adults understand the difference between appropriate physical contact such as a handshake or pat on the back, and contact that is sexual or disrespectful. Volunteers also must be cognizant of how any physical contact may be perceived.
3. Interactions with students must both be appropriate and appear appropriate. It is expected that volunteers' interactions with students are at all times appropriate and professional, and are strictly related to the role of business mentor. It is unacceptable to seek or engage in one-to-one meetings with students at any time.
4. Volunteers are responsible for the quality of interactions. Students often find it difficult to state discomfort or objections. Volunteers must be especially sensitive to physical and verbal cues that youth provide.
The aforementioned standards do not represent a comprehensive list. Other actions not included could result in suspension or dismissal as a volunteer. BotsIQ volunteers also must read and comply with BotsIQ's Social Media and Photo/Video Policy. BotsIQ takes all complaints of misconduct seriously. Credible allegations of misconduct will be promptly reported to the appropriate authorities. During any such investigation, the BotsIQ volunteer will be placed on leave. If an investigation determines misconduct occurred, it will result in the immediate and permanent dismissal as a BotsIQ volunteer. Any BotsIQ staff member or volunteer who reasonably suspects misconduct must report these suspicions immediately to the appropriate BotsIQ staff person.
Social Media and Photo/Video Consent & Event Agreement & Liability Release
This Agreement is a binding contract, covering Southwest Pennsylvania BotsIQ Events (hereafter “Event”) held during the period of September 1, 2023 and August 30, 2024. This includes any activities relating to the Event: such as Teacher Professional Development Days, training events and/or camps, afterschool programs, exhibiting events, competition set-up and tear-down activities, competition days, and career-related experiences (ie tours, job shadow experiences, internships).
SOCIAL MEDIA (e.g., Facebook, Twitter) is a powerful communication tool. Southwest Pennsylvania BotsIQ (“BotsIQ”) expects all employees, volunteers, and students to abide by the obligations and restrictions related to social media as set forth herein.
BotsIQ employees, volunteers and students must communicate on social media sites professionally and respectfully, just as BotsIQ would expect them to communicate were they present in person. All communications with young people must be appropriate, both in terms of the student’s age and the relationship between the adult and student. Profanity, sexualized language or jokes, images of a sexual nature, or similar communications involving adult topics, drugs, or alcohol, are never appropriate around students, no matter if they occur in person, in an email or text message, or on a social media site.
BotsIQ employees, volunteers and students must keep separate any social media communications that implicate BotsIQ from their own personal communications. Young people may have difficulty distinguishing among an adult’s different roles. Therefore, BotsIQ employees and volunteers must presume that any communications with a BotsIQ student will be perceived by the student as relating to BotsIQ business and must act accordingly.
BotsIQ employees and volunteers should carefully consider the implications of becoming “friends” with BotsIQ students on social media sites. This is strongly discouraged, due to how dynamic social media sites are and the different maturity levels of adults and youth. If a volunteer must engage with students via social media or other online channels to facilitate delivery of a BotsIQ program, it will be in accordance with the rules and privacy policies of those sites and only during his or her participation in BotsIQ programs which contain a component of direct volunteer-student interaction, such as BotsIQ Competitions.
PHOTO/VIDEO CONSENT: I give BotsIQ and its partner organizations and companies (list of partner organizations available upon request) permission to use my name and any photo and/or video in which I appear to promote the BotsIQ program without further compensation or permission, except where prohibited by law. I understand also that photos and/or video may be made available to print, video, internet, and other media.
I understand that photos and/or video clips may be captioned and that the caption may include, when appropriate, my first and last name or school. No student’s personally identifiable information will be published by BotsIQ or its partner organizations or shared with third parties without a signed copy of this Release from the parties.
Therefore, I release BotsIQ from any liability or claimed liability in connection with the release of photos and video which I appear in.
INFORMATION RELEASE: I give BotsIQ permission to share my name, school or company name, email address and when appropriate graduation year with its partner organizations and companies (list of partners available upon request).
RELEASE OF LIABILITY: The Event participant or volunteer (hereafter “Grantor”) named below acknowledges that among other things the Event involves machines and equipment, and that such an activity involves risks of injury to Grantor and others attending the Event. Further, the event involves gatherings of groups of people which may cause exposure to or infection by any “Naturally Occurring Disease,” defined to include any disease, illness, or infection caused by bacteria, viruses, rickettsiae, fungi, and parasites, including without limitation COVID-19. In consideration for being permitted to attend or participate in the Event, Grantor and Grantor’s assignees, heirs, guardians, next of kin, spouse and legal representatives expressly release, waive, discharge, and hold harmless the Event Organizers and Sponsor, BotsIQ and the Pittsburgh Chapter National Tooling & Machining Foundation and their officers, directors, agents, and employees and assigns from any and all claims, demands, causes of action, damages and/or liabilities (“Claims”) that may now or hereafter exist, arise or be caused, whether negligently or otherwise, in connection with the Event and/or Grantor’s attendance at the Event, including, but without limitation, claims related to illness, death, personal injury, bodily injury, and/or property damage or destruction.
Grantor is aware that the Event involves hazardous activities, and voluntarily participates in or attends these activities with the knowledge of the danger involved and agrees to assume any and all risks of bodily injury, death, and/ or property damage.
Grantor, if an Event participant, has read and agrees to comply with all rules and regulations as posted on the website or as distributed by the Event Organizers, including without limitation any rule or regulation determined in the sole discretion of BotsIQ and the Pittsburgh Chapter National Tooling & Machining Foundation to limit, slow, or stop the spread of any Naturally Occurring Disease.
Grantor hereby agrees that Grantor and Grantor’s assignees, heirs, distributees, guardians, next of kin, spouse and legal representatives will not make a claim, sue, or attach the property of Event Sponsor or BotsIQ and the Pittsburgh Chapter National Tooling & Machining Foundation or any other sponsoring, licensing, or associated organization, for injury, illness, death, or damage resulting from the Event and/or any act or omission of said parties.
REQUIRED PA State Clearances for Volunteers
ALL volunteers, including current staff, faculty, and students at the participating colleges, need to have the following free certifications/paperwork completed and on file with BotsIQ every 60 months:
1.
Report of criminal history from the Pennsylvania State Police
2.
Child Abuse History certification from the Department of Human Services (Volunteers can request a BotsIQ payment code to ensure clearance is free by emailing blashock@pghntma.org). You will be asked to create a Keystone ID, this is just a username so that you can login in again in the future.
3. Request for fingerprint waiver (one of the two below)
- Individual has been a PA resident for the past 10 years
(FBI Clearance Waiver 10-Year Resident)
- Individual has been a PA resident for less than 10 years
(FBI Clearance Waiver NOT a 10-Year Resident)
I have read the above BotsIQ Volunteer Conduct Policy and Social Media and Photo/Video Consent & Event Agreement & Liability Release. I have carefully read, understand and will abide by these standards. By signing this, I hereby certify that I have never been charged with violence, or any type of charge involving a child or young person, or if I have, that I have fully disclosed in writing the facts regarding such a charge to BotsIQ.
