POLICY ON UNATTENDED CHILDREN
Berkeley Heights Public Library is a place where people of all ages are welcome, children as well as adults. The library should not be a threatening place for a child; therefore, the following policy has been established.
For the purposes of this policy, an unattended child is defined as one not supervised while in BHPL by a parent or caregiver responsible for the wellbeing of that child.
- Children six years of age and younger: a parent or caregiver must remain in the same area as the child at all times and be immediately accessible. This includes storytimes and other programs.
- Children ages 7 and 8: a parent or caregiver must remain in BHPL for the entire visit. The child must be informed when the parent/guardian/caregiver moves to a different location within the building.
- Children 9 – 12 years of age are welcome to use BHPL unattended, but should not be left unsupervised for extended periods of time.
- If Library staff is aware of a child left unattended at the time BHPL is closing, whether it is the regular closing time or for a snow emergency closing (or any other unforeseen reason), an effort will be made to notify the parents by telephone. Then, the Police Department will be notified to transport the child to the Police Department to await pick-up. If it is not possible to reach a parent by telephone, a note will be left on the Library’s doors indicating where the child has been taken.
- Parents will be notified by telephone if their children are not abiding by BHPL’s Rules of Conduct or are not adhering to BHPL’s Policy on Unattended Children.
- During the school year, students using BHPL during the school day must be accompanied by an adult.
Adopted by the Board of Trustees on April 9, 1990, amended June 11, 1990, modified May 12, 2003, amended June 9, 2003, amended May 14, 2018