Vacation Bible School (VBS) is an early summer tradition for many churches across the country.
As you recruit staff and volunteers to support your church’s VBS, it’s important to keep a holistic abuse-prevention plan in view, even when pursuing last-minute help.
That starts with staff and volunteer training that covers all of the needed screening, selection, and supervision efforts, such as Church Law & Tax’s Reducing the Risk available for Advantage Members.
One supervision angle that matters greatly and can easily get overlooked at VBS merits specific attention: the two-adult rule.
What Is The Two-Adult Rule?
The core idea behind the two-adult rule is that no child should ever be alone with an unrelated adult during church activities, including VBS.
Church leadership should establish the rule and make it applicable to all church property and church functions, notes Richard Hammar, attorney and senior editor of Church Law & Tax.
For churches that use underage teenage volunteers for ministry, including VBS, the rule also applies. Leaders must make certain at least one adult is present with a teenager while working with kids (thus maintaining the presence of at least two people—and once children are no longer present, the adult and teenager must then join other adults to maintain the two-adult rule with the teenager).
Tip: The presence of multiple children is an asset. “Some churches follow public school models, allowing one adult with multiple children in a classroom during regular hours,” Hammar says. “This is generally seen as legally acceptable.”
When Can Violations Arise?
Here are common ways the two-adult rule gets compromised during VBS:
- Scenario: A VBS mostly functions outdoors and includes multiple activity stations. Groups of kids, segmented by age, rotate through activities. Shortly after one group arrives at the craft station, one child suddenly needs to use a restroom in the building.
Solution: The craft station leader monitors the group’s remaining kids, while the group’s two adult leaders walk with the child to the restroom. Alternatively, the leaders can ask if other kids need to use the restroom and one adult leader can accompany multiple kids to the restrooms. (Note: The adults should not go with the child into the restroom. For guidance on how to assist young children with bathroom needs, consult with your local school district’s policies to see how such situations get handled.)
