Florida 4-H Program Handbook
SECTION 4: Management Procedures in 4-H
Behavioral Criteria for 4-H Participation
Florida 4-H membership policies require that all 4-H'ers abide by an established Code of Conduct. In all 4-H activities, members, leaders, and parents are expected to follow all rules and regulations as outlined by Extension professionals or volunteers responsible for the specific program or activity.
In this section certain standards and guidelines are identified for use to assure that 4-H has consistency in protecting the rights of 4-H'ers and others. When attending, participating or acting on behalf of the 4-H program, all persons are expected to conduct themselves in accordance with accepted standards of social behavior. This is, at a minimum, to respect the rights of others and refrain from conduct which may be injurious to the 4-H program.
The standards and procedures set forth in this section are minimum standards and are ones that constitute a violation of behavior expectations that can result in limited program participation. These standards and procedures are documented on the Florida 4-H Code of Conduct that must be signed by all 4-H youth and their parents when participating in any out-of-county events or activities they are doing as part of 4-H.
Developing County Code of Conducts and Disciplinary Procedures
County 4-H policy, guided by the County 4-H Advisory Committee, needs to identify the behavioral standards for all 4-H'ers at the county level. Of course, no county 4-H policy can conflict with state 4-H policy.
Why are County Policies Necessary?
University of Florida rules governing 4-H charge each county and state unit to develop policies and procedures for conducting 4-H programs, publish and distribute them to program participants. While the Florida 4-H Code of Conduct has been established for out-of-county events for uniformity, each county must either adopt this one or develop and publish its own.
Florida 4-H Code of Conduct and Member Discipline Policy for ALL 4-H Activities
In seeking uniformity in the conduct expected at all 4-H activities and events, the following guidelines have been developed.
- All rules and regulations governing an activity or event will be discussed with agents, leaders and 4-H'ers prior to, and at the beginning of each event.
- All 4-H'ers are under the supervision of any Extension employee or adult assigned to the event.
- All participants are expected to understand, respect, and act in accord with these standards as they support the goal of maintaining the health, safety and well-being of all persons.
Behavioral Standards for Out-of -County Events
- Participants are expected to participate in all components of the planned program.
- Participants are expected to be responsive to the reasonable requests of the event leader/agent.
- Participants will be respectful of their need for personal safety and the safety of others.
- The possession or use of alcoholic beverages, non-prescription drugs, narcotics, firearms and/or other weapons, tobacco and tobacco products, is strictly prohibited at all times.
- The malicious destruction or theft of personal, state, county, or 4-H property is unacceptable behavior.
- Gambling for money is not permitted.
- Participants will remain at the premises of the program/event at all times unless they have been granted permission to leave by the adults in charge.
- Visitation by non-registered persons is discouraged. The event leader/agent should be notified if guests are expected.
- Participants will leave the premises in as good or better condition than it was upon arrival.
Consequences and Disciplinary Actions
1.) 4-H'ers accused of any of the following will be required to appear before a review board:
- Possession or use of illegal drugs or alcoholic beverages;
- Theft, misuse, or abuse of public or personal property;
- Sexual misconduct;
- Possession of weapons or fireworks;
- Unauthorized absence from the premises of the event;
- Physical assault.
If the accused 4-H'er is found in violation of the above, his/her parents will be notified; and the 4-H'er will be sent home immediately at the parent's expense and be suspended from participation in district, state, national and international 4-H activities for a period of up to 12 months.
2.) 4-H'ers accused of any of the following may be required to appear before the review board:
- Breaking curfew or disturbing the peace.
- Unexcused absence from the activities of the event.
- Unauthorized use of vehicles during the event.
- Use of abusive language.
If the accused 4-H'er is found in violation of these offenses listed above and receives discipline issued by the review board, his/her parents will be notified, and the 4-H'er may be sent home immediately at the parent's expense and may be suspended from participating in district, state, national, and international 4-H activities for up to six (6) months.
3.) Realizing these guidelines are not "all inclusive" the Extension Service reserves the right to make adjustments to these policies.
A policy for dealing with disciplinary violations should provide a clear opportunity for accused individuals to exercise rights of due process. The procedure shown here was developed by Len Davis, a university attorney for the University of Georgia, for use in that state and has been adapted only slightly for use in Florida.
Notification Procedures
If a 4-H'er is found in violation of the Code and is to be sent home, the person in charge of the event will notify the appropriate County Extension Director/agent responsible.
Review Board
The person in charge of the event will appoint a review board at the beginning of the event. The review board shall consist of the following: at least one Extension worker, up to two volunteer leaders, and three 4-H members(when appropriate). The person in charge of the event, or designee, shall serve as chairperson. The review board may be convened by the person in charge of the event.
Appeal Procedures
If a 4-H'er wishes to appeal the decision of the review board, he/she must appeal in writing through his/her County Extension Office. Appeals must be filed within 30 days following notification of punishment.
As necessary, the Assistant Dean of 4-H shall appoint an appeal board to meet no sooner than 30 days following the date of the 4-H'er's request. The appeal board shall consist of:
- A County Extension Agent
- A Volunteer Leader
- Three 4-H members (when appropriate)
- Assistant Dean, 4-H (or designate) chairperson
What Should Agents Do with Respect to this Issue?
Prior to all events, distribute and collect signed Florida 4-H Code of Conduct and Discipline Procedures and the 4-H Member and Parent Agreement (printed on the back ) forms. This form outlines the rules for behavior and the consequences if these are not followed. The form must be signed by both the 4-H member and a parent. This verifies that both the member and parent have read the code of conduct and discipline procedures and understand the items stated in it. Also on the form is the parental Acknowledgment of Risk Agreement and the emergency contact information. This must be filled out to know who to contact in case of health or disciplinary problems. Failure to have two bonafide signatures to the above shall be sufficient reason to disqualify a member from further participation in a 4-H event. An Agent Responsibility Form must be completed with all registration packets for out-of-county events and activities. Copies of these forms can be found in the appendix of this section or from the State 4-H Events website.
What to Do in Case of Behavioral Violations?
Understanding the importance of protecting the rights of the individual without jeopardizing the effectiveness of the program should lead to agent cooperation in informing members of rules and procedures and in seeing that the signed Codes of Conducts are submitted for all 4-H activities.
Agents should be aware of the requirements of providing due process in disciplinary action that prohibits 4-H'ers from further participation or restricts their participation.
Agents are responsible for training adult volunteers in how the requirement for due process might affect their handling of disciplinary cases at the club level. For county level events and activities it is important that a procedure similar to the one shown in the appendices be adopted.
In short, by protecting the right of the individual(s) to due process, you will be protecting yourself, Extension, IFAS, and the University of Florida from potential embarrassment and litigation. It seems a small price to pay!
These guidelines and procedures are documented in the Florida 4-H Code of Conduct.
