UPDATED SECTION

5.2.20 - Subpoenas of Employees or Documents and Witness Statements

Staff members who are served a subpoena to appear and testify on archdiocese-related business must notify the person in charge and the archdiocesan Office of the Legal Counsel immediately. A copy of the subpoena and all associated documents must be forwarded promptly to the archdiocesan Office of the Legal Counsel. The Office of the Legal Counsel's policy and practice is to assist staff in the proceedings where they are being called to be a witness because of their status in the archdiocese.

If the subpoena served seeks records or documents from the location or staff, the subpoena must be forwarded immediately to the archdiocesan Office of the Legal Counsel, which will provide instructions on how to respond.

Staff members may not agree to provide voluntary written or oral witness statements or declarations or copies of records to any third party (e.g., a parishioner, a parent/guardian, a volunteer, or staff members from other locations) without first obtaining permission from the person in charge, in consultation with the Office of the Legal Counsel. Staff members should not volunteer to appear in any judicial proceeding. In case of an accident, follow the procedures set forth in Accident Procedures. If the request seeks student records, follow the procedures set forth in Pupil Records.

UPDATED SECTION

8.7.1 - Responding to an Injury

If an accident occurs and a person is injured, determine if the person needs immediate medical attention. This will depend on how serious the injury is or it appears to be: Is it life threatening (very serious) or non-life threatening (less serious or minor)?

When the Injury is Life Threatening

Call 911. Also call the injured person's emergency contact. Do not move the person unless he or she is in immediate danger of further injury. Cover the person and arrange for someone to meet the paramedics and bring them to the injured person.

Note: If a serious injury, serious illness, or death of an employee occurs in a place of employment or in connection with any employment, California requires the employer to report immediately (within eight hours) to the nearest District Office of the Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA); see Reporting Work-Connected Injuries. Notify the Insurance Department of the archdiocese immediately. If the accident occurs during non-business hours, the person in charge at the location reports to Cal/OSHA and follows up with a report to the Insurance Department of the archdiocese.

Each location should have persons who are trained in emergency first aid procedures.

When the Injury is Not Life Threatening

Administer minor first aid and then make the person comfortable.

If the injured person is an employee and needs medical attention, then arrange to transport the person to the location's assigned medical panel facilities. Contact the Insurance Department at the archdiocese for help and further instruction. See the Medical Care Location Sheets.

If the injured person is not an employee or student and needs medical attention, then provide help:

Ask if the paramedics should be called. If so, dial 911 and then give the phone (if practical), to the injured person to make the arrangements directly.
Ask if anyone else should be notified. If so, call that person on the injured person's behalf.
File an accident report with the archdiocese, as described in Reporting an Injury or Accident.

Note: Any injured person or a student's parent/guardian has the right to refuse a medical examination and treatment. In this event, ask the person to sign the Archdiocese of Los Angeles Refusal of Medical Examination and/or Treatment for Non-Employees and Non-Students.

Topics to Avoid

Please DO NOT say:

The location is at fault or is responsible for the injury
The location will take care of or pay the medical bill
The same accident or a similar type of accident has occurred at the location
Staff members will be your witnesses

UPDATED SECTION

13.3.4 - Administrative Procedures for Handling Confidential Information

In all situations where confidential information is shared, the principal shall implement practices and procedures to ensure students’ academic, personal, psychological, health, and spiritual information remains confidential. Without parent/guardian consent, no information on confidential matters should be shared or discussed with anyone, including school employees not directly and necessarily involved.

No one should discuss specific student problems in the staff room or any place where people who are not directly involved in the matters may overhear.

Only the principal, teachers, or administrators charged with pupil oversight may initiate a call to parents/guardians. Other staff members must have prior administrative consent. If parents/guardians have questions, teacher aides and other staff members should refer them to the principal or the appropriate teachers or administrators.

School employees may not agree to provide a parent/guardian or another person with a voluntary written or oral statement or any documents in a family or custody dispute without first obtaining permission from the person in charge, in consultation with the Office of the Legal Counsel. Employees should not volunteer to appear in any judicial proceeding. If parents/guardians are engaged in a dispute or violating a custody order, call the Office of the Legal Counsel for advice or call the police if safety is an issue. In ordinary situations, pupil records are to be handled as provided in Pupil Records.

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