The care and behavior of minor children visiting the Burton Public Library is the responsibility of the parent/guardian. The Library does not act in loco parentis. While many people think of a public library as a safe environment, that is, unfortunately, not always the case. Library Staff welcomes minor children to enjoy the Library and library materials but cannot accept responsibility for their safety and security. To that end, the Library has developed the following procedures to guide staff in dealing with unattended minors.
When a situation (e.g. personal injury, minor child left at closing) develops that warrants the attention of a minor’s parent/guardian, the Library will attempt to contact the parent/guardian.
(This will NOT be the case when a minor is asked to leave the Library property for violating the “Burton Public Library Behavior Policy”). If unable to reach the parent/guardian, the Library will contact the Burton Village Police Department to report the presence of an unattended minor in the Library. The police department will be asked to pick up the minor until the parent/guardian can be located.
Under no circumstances will Library staff transport any minor in his or her personal vehicle.
Library patrons who engage in unacceptable behavior, as defined in the “Burton Public Library Behavior Policy”, shall be subject to action as specified in the policy. Minors who are in chronic violation of the policy shall be required to be accompanied by a parent/guardian during library visits for a period to be determined by the Library Director.
An incident report form must be completed and submitted to the Library Director and a copy provided to the police or children’s services office when appropriate.