Safety
This page is for parents and guardians. If something here is a dealbreaker, that is useful information and we would rather you have it now.
An adult Event Director is accountable for safety on the day.
They hold the emergency file, make the call on anything medical, and are the person you phone. Ship School was started by a high school student, which is exactly why this role exists: a minor cannot be the responsible adult for a room of minors, and we are not going to pretend otherwise.
What we do
A named adult is accountable for the day
An adult Event Director is responsible for safety, holds the emergency file, and is the person a parent calls. Ship School was started by a high school student, which is exactly why this role is a requirement and not a formality: a minor cannot be the responsible adult for a room of minors. We do not open the doors without a named adult in this role.
Consent before anyone attends
A parent or guardian signs a form covering liability release, emergency medical authorization, allergies and medication, and the online services students use. The deadline is Wednesday, September 16. A student without a signed form on file is not admitted, and that holds even when the request is sympathetic — a student admitted without one has no medical authorization and no allergy record.
Two adults, always
No adult is ever alone with a student, and no student meets an adult behind a closed door or out of sight. Rooms that can't be made visible are locked for the day. This protects students, and it protects mentors, who cannot be accused of something that could not have happened. Any adult can move any situation into the open without asking permission.
Ten adults, or we don't open
Our floor is ten adults for about 120 students, present throughout, and we recruit fourteen to sixteen so that breaks and no-shows don't drop us under it. It's checked before doors open. There is no California statute setting a ratio for a one-day educational event — we checked — so this is our own standard, not the law's.
Everyone is signed in and signed out
We can say where a student is at any moment, and who they left with. Students don't leave and come back. If a parent hasn't authorized independent departure, we release the student only to someone named on the consent form, and we ask for ID if we don't recognize them. If someone isn't on the list, we call the parent instead.
Allergies are the emergency we plan for first
Across about 120 students and three meals, an allergic reaction is the most probable serious medical event of the day — more probable than any of the legal risks. Details are collected on the consent form and sent to the caterer in writing in advance. Every dish is labelled with its full ingredients, allergens are separated with their own utensils, and an unlabelled dish is not served. Food comes from a licensed caterer. Nobody brings home-cooked food.
Nothing goes to sponsors
We don't sell attendee data and we never hand a sponsor the roster or any contact details. If a sponsor wants to stay in touch with a student, the student chooses that themselves, at the event. Medical and emergency information is seen only by the organizers responsible for safety, and is deleted within 30 days.
Photos are opt-out, visibly
Parents opt in or out on the consent form and both are equally fine. Students whose parents declined wear a differently coloured lanyard so photographers know without anyone having to explain themselves. Group photos are staged so those students are invited to step out rather than singled out. We publish first names only, never a full name next to a face, and one named person reviews every photo before it goes up. Email us and we take a photo down within 48 hours, no questions.
What students publish is public
The point of the day is that you deploy something to the real internet. That means it's visible to anyone with the link. We tell students plainly not to put their address, their phone number, their school ID, or anyone else's information into what they build, and mentors are briefed to check for it before Demo Hour.
What isn’t finished
Adult Event Director
A named adult must hold this role before the doors open, and if we do not have one, the event does not run. We would rather cancel in August than run it without.
Event liability insurance
We are placing general liability cover of at least $1M per occurrence with an affirmative Sexual Abuse and Molestation endorsement, and the venue named as additional insured. Standard event policies frequently exclude that entirely, which is why we require it. Target: mid-August. Until it is bound we will not claim it.
Mentors and adult staff
No mentors are confirmed yet. Every adult signs a code of conduct, completes California's free mandated reporter training before the day, and is badged. The core team is background-checked; one-day mentors fall under the AB 506 thresholds and are not required to be, so our control there is structural — the two-adult rule — not screening.
Venue
Announced in August. We need 7:00am to 10:00pm access. We walk the space the day before to check exits, room visibility, the first aid kit, and the check-in choke point.
Loaner laptops
A student on a locked-down school laptop cannot take part in the morning at all, so these are a dependency rather than a nicety. Ask for one on the signup form and we tell you in August whether we can hold one.
What we can’t promise
We cannot guarantee an allergen-free environment. Food is made off-site and served in a shared room.
There is no nurse on site. Our plan is early recognition, epinephrine where it is prescribed, and calling 911 without hesitating.
We do not provide transportation and we never drive students. Travel to and from the venue is outside our supervision.
One-day mentors are not background-checked. The two-adult rule is the control we rely on instead, and we treat it as a real trade-off, not a non-issue.
The day ends at 9:00pm. For some families that is too late, and it is a reasonable thing to decide against.
This is our first event. We have compensated with detailed planning, but we have no operating history.
Anything at all, ask us directly — hello@shipschool.org
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