Catholic School Administrators - Principals and Religion or CTP Program Coordinators 

101 Procedures Manual - Catholic school principal and administrators

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As Catholics, we believe that every human being is created in the image and likeness of God. Each of us is sacred and our lives – body, mind and soul – should be treated with respect. Called to Protect for Young Children gives our children (CTPC – K-5^th grades) practical tools, using simple activities, to help them understand this fundamental teaching of our faith. Called to Protect for Youth gives our youth (CTPY – 6^th -12^th grades) practical tools, in language and medium they can understand, to realize this fundamental teaching of our faith. The Called to Protect programs are not human sexuality education, nor are they meant to replace the religion curriculum in the school.

All schools in the Diocese of Austin are required to provide the Called to Protect programs annually to help educate our students about abuse prevention and personal safety. Students unable to attend are not required to “make up” the session, but information should be made available to the parent to share with the student. The importance of attending this program should be stressed to the students and parents – this shouldn’t be presented as an optional program.

CTPC, which is developmentally appropriate and sequential for each age group, differs from other Ethics and Integrity in Ministry programs in that it is classroom-based curriculum (rather than a facilitator-led workshop). Each school may choose to own or share a Called to Protect for Children binder which contains all lesson plans and information needed to teach the Called to Protect for Children program. Contact the EIM Office about acquiring a CTPC binder or implementing CTPC at the school.

CTPY facilitators trained by the diocese present the CTPY program which teaches youth about boundaries, how they might be violated, how to handle boundary violations and whom they can speak with if boundary violation occurs. Every year each school should plan to provide CTPY to their 6^th and 9^th grade students, as well as students in other middle and high school grades new to the school since the previous CTPY. We offer CTPY at 2 different grades/ages due to the maturation that occurs over those years; students should plan to attend twice, in both their middle school and high school years.

 Schedule CTPY
(You may scan/email, fax or postal mail the CTPY request form to the EIM office)

1. The school administrator responsible for implementing Called to Protect should review the EIM 101 procedures manual regarding the CTPC and CTPY programs prior to scheduling.

2. CTPC consists of three brief sessions per grade, per year, in which the classroom teacher provides students with basic understanding about rules and boundaries, skills to know what to do if someone doesn’t follow rules about safety and will facilitate conversations about keeping safe. Please contact the EIM Office if your school does not have a CTPC binder.

3. Only CTPY facilitators trained by the diocese may present the CTPY program. The teachers who regularly work with the students are expected to be present at all times during the CTPY program to supervise and facilitate student activities, and provide support to any student that might need it during the session. EIM ratios must be maintained at all times.

4. Each school determines the best “format” to present Called to Protect for Youth. The primary options are: three, one-hour class sessions integrated into the regular class times or a 3-4 hour “retreat format” at a time outside of the regular class schedule (if the retreat format is used, any snacks provided should be saved for the break after the second part of the program). If CTPY will be done outside of “regular” class time, ample advance notification must be given to parents to ensure attendance by their student(s). Ideally the middle school and high school sessions would be held separately, but if there is a need to combine groups, catechists from all the grades must be present to help supervise their students with the various activities and discussions, which are completed by grade. It is recommended that presentations be limited to a ratio of approximately 50 students to one facilitator. If your group is larger than 60 students, please consult with the facilitator regarding whether two facilitators are needed. EIM ratios must always be maintained.

5. The appropriate CTPC information letter  or CTPY information letter (both in English/Spanish) should be provided to all school families at the beginning of the school year informing them that the program(s) will be presented during the school year. Each letter includes a link to the website for additional program information. If you have parents that may not have access to the internet, you may print and make paper copies of this information available to parents.

6. Two-three weeks prior to the beginning of each program, the CTPC reminder note (English/Spanish) and the specific grade objectives page should be sent to the parents of elementary students, and the CTPY reminder note (English/Spanish) sent to the parents of middle and high school students. To provide a consistent message to school families, please only use the letter and note referenced in this section to communicate with your families about CTP.

7. Each CTPC session typically lasts between 15-30 minutes and the simple lesson plan for each session per grade begins with the learning objective, indicates materials needed, describes how to complete the topic activity in detail and ends with a brief reflection and prayer. For instance, the 1st Grade Learning Objective for Lesson Plan B is: Learn the rules for how people are supposed to treat each other. There is an activity pages to reproduce for this activity and crayons or markers and scissors are needed. The teacher asks questions about rules and what the ‘golden rule’ is and the students complete their activity sheet. The session ends with a reflection and prayer. Click here to see an example activity sheet.

8. For CTPY, a DVD or laptop and large screen are needed to present the program. A sound system may be needed for the facilitator. Poster board and markers will also be needed. The school administrator responsible for CTPY should provide the CTPY preparation information (sent with the CTPY confirmation) to the teachers/school staff who will be assisting with the CTPY program. If possible, it is best for the school CTPY team to meet briefly with the facilitator before the beginning of the first session in order to review instructions regarding their role during each of the sessions.

9. Parents are welcome to review the CTPC curriculum in advance at a time convenient for the school staff. Schools may arrange a preview of the CTPY program if requested and if possible based on the facilitator’s schedule.

10. If, after being informed and educated about the CTP program, a parent does not want their child to attend, they should complete the appropriate CTPC waiver form  or CTPY waiver form (both in English/Spanish) indicating that they understand that they are assuming the responsibility for educating their child about the information covered. Basic program information and activity sheets should be provided to the parent/guardian of any child that does not attend CTPC, and program and discussion materials should be provided to the parent/guardian of any child that does not attend CTPY (see austindiocese.org/parent for parent resources). Note: there is no “permission form” for either CTP program and the waiver option should not be included with the initial parent information; parents who have a legitimate concern and want a waiver will ask for one.

11. Upon completion of the CTP program, the coordinator(s) submits the Program Report(s) using the appropriate webform (signed waiver forms and any attendance lists should be kept on file at the parish/school).

• CTPC Program Report    
• Middle School CTPY Program Report   
• High School CTPY Program Report 

Ten Points to Create Safe Environments for Children