STUDENT SAFETY & SUPERVISION POLICY

The primary role of GLA summer staff members is to assess risk and supervise students in order to provide the safest experience possible for students.

• A 6:1 student to staff ratio is the standard for GLA’s service-learning programs
  • In some locations the Local Director is included in this ratio, but not all. 
• A 6:1 student to staff ratio is the standard for GLA’s Travel Internship programs
  • In some locations the Local Director is included in this ratio, but not all. 
• A 5:1 student to staff ratio is the standard for the middle school program.

The student to staff ratio on all programs will never exceed 10:1 at any time on programming (including traveling to/from different sites). GLA utilizes the “buddy system” for students on each program (2 or 3 students in a group). Students are expected to stay in their buddy system, especially when students are in a designated area in which staff are present – but not directly accompanying students such as (but limited to); i.e –  market visits. All students should be accounted for before staff leave any location, when they arrive and during activities.

While at the Home Base, students will be given free time. Free time for students is not free time for staff; students must still be supervised. While at the Home Base during free time, students may be in their rooms or in the common area. For everyone’s personal safety, students may not be allowed in rooms they are not assigned to. Free time at the Home Base is often a time when staff have their daily meetings. Therefore, while in the common area, there will be a staff presence, should students need anything. If there is a pool onsite, no students may be in the pool without at least two staff members supervising the space.

It is GLA policy that students remain in their rooms for the duration of the night once program leaders have instructed them to do so. By violating this policy (i.e. sneaking out of your room at night), you put yourselves and others at risk and this is grounds for dismissal from the program. Each night participants are informed of the time to return to assigned rooms and the time of “lights out” as well as schedule for the following day. For health reasons, we allow for and encourage eight hours of sleep a night for students, whenever possible.

Local Staff who meet the same requirements as our international staff, including first aid/CPR trained and qualified, are also included in the ratio and registered as staff with full supervisory rights over the students. Local staff who meet some (but not all) of the requirements may be called upon to have limited supervisory rights for a specified brief amount of time. Ex. a Home Base manager might be asked to supervise a sick student who remained at the Home Base while the other students participate in the service project (up to 3 hours for ‘temporary staff’).

While supervising students, all staff are never to be alone with a student at any time. All staff (ID, LD, Mentors and additional staff) and students are trained for a student to never be alone with a staff member unless in extenuating circumstances such as; emergency situations and Hospital overnights, student Code of Conduct violations etc. In these instances, parents/guardians will be notified.