Restroom Supervision

How Rainbow DJ Lab children use the restroom safely: buddy pairs, an adult at the entrance, and no adult ever alone with a child out of sight.

Status

These policies were adopted by the Ras Tafari Inc. board on October 17, 2026. The Lab is proposed. Exact restroom locations and walking routes will be confirmed during the site walk with Chicago Park District staff (launch checklist item 6). Park restrooms are public, which is why these rules matter.

The rules

Buddy system. Junior and Teen DJs go in pairs, never alone.
An adult waits at the restroom entrance, outside, in a public spot where they can see the door and hear. They don't go in.
Staff never enter a stall area with a child. If a child needs help, see "If a child needs help" below.
Little DJs (ages 5–7) go with their own grown-up, who stays with them for the whole class.
No adult is ever alone with a child out of sight. The adult at the door is in a public, observable spot. This follows the "observable and interruptible" standard modeled on the U.S. Center for SafeSport's Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policies (MAAPP).
Ratio holds. The children who stay in class are never left with fewer adults than the 6-to-1 ratio requires.
We never withhold the restroom. Not as a consequence and not to keep the schedule.
No phones or cameras in restrooms, for staff or kids.

How a restroom trip works

The Move Break (minutes 35–40) is the planned restroom time. A child who needs to go at another time can always ask.

Step	Who	Action
1	Child	Tells an adult "I need the restroom." Any child can ask at any time
2	Lead adult	Picks a buddy, and picks which adult escorts. Notes the time out
3	Escort adult	Before children go in, takes a quick look from the doorway to make sure no one is inside who shouldn't be, or asks any adult inside to step out. If someone won't leave, the group waits or uses another restroom
4	Buddy pair	Go in together; come out together
5	Escort adult	Waits at the entrance. If a child takes longer than about 5 minutes, calls their name from the door
6	Escort adult	Walks the pair back; lead adult notes time back

Keeping ratio: if only two adults are present and the class is full (12 children), one adult can't leave 10 children alone. In that case:

the trip waits until the Move Break if it's a few minutes away and the child is comfortable waiting, or
the class pauses and the whole station group walks together with the escort adult, so each adult stays within ratio, or
a third screened adult, when one is present, escorts.

A child who says it's urgent always goes right away by one of these routes.

If a child needs help

If a child has an accident or needs help with clothing, the escort adult stays at the door, speaks through the door, and calls the parent. A Little DJ's own grown-up helps them.
Please send a change of clothes in a bag if your child might need one.
If a child is hurt or unwell inside, the escort adult calls the other adult first, then enters with the door open so a second adult can see, and calls 911 if needed.

If something goes wrong

If an unknown adult approaches children near the restroom, the escort adult brings the children back to the group right away and tells the lead adult. If there's any threat, call 911.
If a child says something happened in the restroom, follow Peer-Harm Protocol or, if an adult is involved, the Youth Protection Policy and the DCFS Hotline, 1-800-25-ABUSE (1-800-252-2873).
If a child doesn't come out and doesn't answer, follow the Lost Child Plan.

What you'll be told

At enrollment: where the restroom is (once the site walk is done) and this procedure.
Same day: any accident, help with clothing, or anything unusual.
Right away by phone: any safety concern.

Sources

U.S. Center for SafeSport, Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policies (MAAPP), including one-on-one interaction and locker room/changing area standards: https://uscenterforsafesport.org
Illinois DCFS, Child Abuse Hotline: https://dcfs.illinois.gov