Protecting God’s Children

All adult employees and volunteers in the Archdiocese of St. Louis who work with or near minors and/or vulnerable adults are required to comply with the requirements and policies set forth by the Archdiocese Safe Environment Program, part of which includes the Protecting God’s Children training program.

St. Margaret of Scotland Parish School will comply with all Archdiocesan policies and procedures concerning Protecting God’s Children Program.  All St. Margaret of Scotland Parish School faculty, staff, and volunteers are mandated by Missouri law to report all suspected child abuse and neglect.
(School Board, Reviewed May 2020)

All employees and volunteers of the Archdiocese, and therefore, St. Margaret of Scotland Parish & School (including the Athletic Association, Scouts, PTA, School Board, and any other ancillary volunteer organization or position), are required to follow the Archdiocesan policy and procedures concerning child abuse. 

In particular, St. Margaret of Scotland School policy dictates:

It is MANDATORY that school families must have ALL parents/guardians in compliance with Protecting God’s Children BEFORE the start of each School year.  Parents and/or guardians will be given ample opportunity to obtain compliance prior to the start of each year.  Any exceptions regarding this policy must be cleared by Safe Environment Coordinator, Carmela Garza, in the Parish office and must be documented in both the Parish & School office.  

Proof of compliance is required and must be on record in the Parish Office before any adult (parent and/or guardian) will be allowed to volunteer or work with or near minors.

Please visit the Protect and Prevent STL website (preventandprotectstl.org) to register and create an account to access the database.  Enter the passcode “stlprotect” when prompted.  Instructions for user registration are also below.

After creating an account in the Prevent and Protect STL system, there are five components of compliance with the Archdiocese’s Safe Environment Program:  

1. Attend “Protecting God’s Children” live workshop and complete online updates every three years (workshop schedule available online).
2. Complete ”Mandated Reporter” training online.
3. Complete “Code of Conduct” training online.
4. Understand and sign the Archdiocese’s Code of Ethical Conduct for Clergy, Employees, and Volunteers Working in Ministry.
5. Submit a national criminal record screening and agree to regular updates.

Registration for a workshop is done online whether attending at St. Margaret of Scotland or elsewhere in the Archdiocese.

LIVE WORKSHOP REGISTRATION
Enter the passcode stlprotect when prompted at registration.

USER REGISTRATION INSTRUCTIONS

The Protecting God’s Children training program is intended to teach those who interact with children how to recognize the signals of child abuse and how to maintain healthy physical and emotional boundaries when working with young children.  When everyone is knowledgeable and actively watches out for all of the children, all of the children will be safe.

If you have questions regarding St. Margaret of Scotland’s Safe Environment Program, please contact Carmela Garza at cgarza@stmargaretstl.org or 314-776-0363.

Victims of sexual abuse, in addition to contacting civil authorities, are asked to come forward in order to receive pastoral assistance. Reports of abuse may be made to any Pastor or to:

Sandra Price, Executive Director
Office of Child & Youth Protection
314-792-7271
sandraprice@archstl.org

Missouri Department of Social Services, Children’s Division
Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline:
1-800-392-3738

Missouri Department of Heath & Senior Services
Adult Abuse and Neglect Hotline:
1-800-392-0210