The Department of Health (DOH) will not, for the time being, move forward with amendments to youth summer camp safety rules. DOH has issued a notice of adoption for N.J.A.C. 8:25, excluding the proposed amendments and new rules under sections N.J.A.C. 8:25-1.2(a). These amendments would have changed certain definitions that would have seen municipal summer camps and day camps become subject to unnecessary additional and burdensome regulations.
The rule amendments, as introduced, would have required fingerprint-based criminal history record checks to be extended to municipal youth camps. Also, proposed amendments would have seen the term "off-site field trips" be classified as a “high-risk activity.”
While these amendments are not currently moving forward it is important to note that aspects of the proposal not adopted remain pending and may be considered for future adoption.
The proposed amendments would have forced camps to shut down due to insufficient fingerprinting sites and the overwhelming number of trained staff needed to fingerprint in a short time frame, making compliance virtually impossible. The change also posed concern for the safety of camp attendees as the proposed regulatory amendments only covered criminal background checks in New Jersey compared to current background checks, which cover all 50 states. We are grateful to the Department of Health for listening to and hearing our concerns and will continue to work with the DOH to work on reasonable changes.
Contact: Andrew LaFevre, Legislative Analyst, alafevre@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x116.