Mid Michigan College seeks to establish an environment that is safe and secure for all members of the campus community, including minor children. Various interactions with minor children occur every day on campus when children are present with guests, visitors, or prospective/enrolled students. Children also actively participate in programs and activities hosted by the College or third parties. When young children accompany an employee, student, or visitor to the campus the child should be under the constant supervision of a responsible adult. This requires that there must be an unobstructed line-of-sight between the child/children and the adult. The child/children should be disciplined and non-disruptive to the learning/work environment. Additionally, per the College’s Code of Conduct, children are prohibited in classrooms, laboratories, testing centers or other areas of instruction.
Minors that have been admitted to the College, children who participate in organized, scheduled activities/events, and dual enrolled high school students, are permitted on campus without adult supervision. Parents/guardians of minor children that engage in scheduled activities or events are encouraged to enroll in Mid’s visitor emergency notification system in order to receive text message alerts in the event of a campus closure or situation that warrants the issuance of an emergency notification or timely warning. In these situation, incident information and updates will also be posted and available on the College’s Incident Update page.
Mid Michigan College works to establish an environment that is safe and secure for all members of the campus community, including minor children. A variety of interactions with minor children occur every day on campus when children are present with guests, visitors, or prospective/enrolled students. Children also actively participate in programs and activities hosted by the College or third parties. This policy is intended to provide guidance to college community members on their responsibilities for reporting suspected acts of child abuse and neglect.
All members of the Mid Michigan College community (including students, faculty, and staff) have an obligation to protect the welfare of minor children and should report suspected acts of child abuse or neglect. Pursuant to the Michigan Child Protection Act 238 of 1975 (MCL 722.623), only certain types of individuals (e.g. school administrators, teachers, law enforcement, child care workers) that have information or reasonable cause to suspect that a child under the age of 18 is being abused, neglected or exploited, are required to file an immediate report. In Michigan these individuals are referred to as ‘Mandated Reporters.’ Although these Reporters are specifically designated, any individual that suspects acts of child abuse or neglect should report this information by using the same processes as a Mandated Reporter.
Any person who knows, suspects, or receives information indicating that a minor has been or is being abused, neglected or exploited should make a report to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) by phone access to the Centralized Intake. Reporters are not expected to investigate the matter or determine whether abuse or neglect has actually occurred. They are not required to know the name of the perpetrator. The Michigan Child Protection Law is intended to make reporting as easy as possible. Based on the filed report, Child Protective Services (CPS), a division of MDHHS, holds the responsibility of determining the course of action that should be taken.
A person who makes a good faith report is protected from civil or criminal prosecution and cannot be penalized for making the report or cooperating in an investigation. Additionally, the identity of the reporting person is confidential and only subject to disclosure when under a judicial order or when their consent is given.
Mandated Reporters that fail to report suspected acts of child abuse or neglect are subject to both civil and criminal prosecution. In a civil action, the Mandated Reporter may be held liable for damages that any person has suffered due to the Mandated Reporters’ failure to make a report. In a criminal action, the Mandated Reporter may be found guilty of a misdemeanor that is punishable by imprisonment for up to 93 days and a fine of $500.00.
The Michigan Department of Health & Human Services maintains a website that houses various information and resources regarding the Michigan Child Protection Law, Mandated Reporters, reporting options and procedures, and informational material on reporting.
Mid will fully and appropriately cooperate with any suspected child abuse or neglect investigation by Child Protective Services or Law Enforcement. If the individual that is suspected of child abuse or neglect is a student or employee, the College may coordinate its own investigation or activity with the appropriate local agency in response to a report.
(Updated JULY 2023)