- Protecting God's Children
- Safe School Helpline
- Health & Safety
- Asbestos Hazard
Protecting God's Children
The Diocese of Columbus has created a Safe Environment Program designed to protect children while they are in the care, custody, or control of any person working on behalf of the Church. Protecting God’s Children™ training is just one step of the overall Safe Environment Program.
For the safety of our children, the Diocese of Columbus requires the following attend a Protecting God’s Children Program and complete a criminal background check (fingerprinting):
- All paid diocesan, parish, and school staff and any clergy temporarily assigned to the Columbus Diocese regardless of their level of contact with children and youth. All paid staff must have on file both BCI and FBI background checks and must attend “Protecting God’s Children.”
- All volunteers must have on file a BCI background check and must attend “Protecting God’s Children” no matter how much or how little contact they have with children or youth, no matter if volunteering for the school or parish, and no matter what time of the day or night they volunteer.
- Faculty/staff/volunteers are aware they have considerable personal power because of their ministerial position. Therefore, they will sustain respectful relationships, avoiding manipulation, and other abuses of power.
- Physical, sexual, or romantic relationships between faculty/staff/volunteers and a minor are unethical and are prohibited. If you have been a resident of the State of Ohio for less than five years, you are required to have both a BCI and an FBI background check; residents of more than five years are only required to only have a BCI background check. The Newark Police Department will process your fingerprints for a nominal fee. Please contact them at 740-670-7205 for further information. You should provide them with Code #2151.86 for volunteering and ask that they send the results electronically to the Diocese of Columbus, Attention: Regina Quinn, 197 East Gay Street, Columbus, Ohio 43215.
To complete Protecting God’s Children requirements, the Diocese of Columbus participates in Virtus, a program and service of the National Catholic Risk Retention Group, Inc. visit their site at www.virtusonline.org to view a list of upcoming sessions in our area. These sessions are free and last about two hours.
Diocese of Columbus Safe Environment Manual
As a Diocean High School, Newark Catholic High School follows all policies set forth in the Diocese of Columbus Safe Environment Manual. Members of our school community must adhere to the Volunteer and Employee Code of Conduct (SE 200.40), contained within the current manual.
Safe School Helpline
In support of our efforts to ensure a safe, respectful and responsible school climate we also have available the Safe School Helpline™. The Helpline is designed to assist you in reporting any behavior that impacts our schools, our students, or our faculty or staff—anonymously, so as to protect your privacy. For example, you can report acts or threats of violence, theft, drug or alcohol use, depression or threats of suicide, weapons or sexual harassment.
To access the Safe School Helpline, call 1-800-4-1-VOICE (1-800-418-6423) ext. 359 to leave your information. You can also submit a report via SafeSchoolHelpline.com. Or, text 614-426-0240, then type TIPS. Safe School Helpline numbers are also posted in our school building and pamphlets and flyers are available on the resource board in Senior Hall across from the teachers’ lounge. Your message will not be traced, and you will not be identified. The Safe School Helpline team will transcribe and send your message to school officials so appropriate action can be taken. If you have any questions please contact school administration.
If you need to talk, the 988 Lifeline is here.
At the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, we understand that life's challenges can sometimes be difficult. Whether you're facing mental health struggles, emotional distress, alcohol or drug use concerns, or just need someone to talk to, our caring counselors are here for you. You are not alone.
COVID-19 Guidance for Licking County Schools as of September 22, 2021
Please refer to this page frequently for the latest announcements and updates about Newark Catholic High School regarding COVID-19 Health and Safety updates and resources. We are in the midst of a national emergency and we are committed to making decisions that are not only in the best interest of our students, faculty, and staff but also ensuring that those decisions are in the best interest of our national health and security.
COVID-19 Reporting Dashboard
Information regarding the number of COVID-19 cases in our school community can be found here on our COVID-19 Dashboard. Please use the Licking County Health Department Symptom Checker to monitor your student’s daily symptoms.
COVID-19 Protocol Reminders
- When calling your student in ‘absent’ due to an illness that may have “COVID” related symptoms, your student will be required to stay home one additional day after their last absent day (example: if you call your student off on Monday, they cannot return until Wednesday even if they feel fine on Tuesday). This is a precautionary step that we are following along with many other Licking County schools. While students are at home they are able to login to Google Classroom for remote learning.
- Allergy season is upon us and we are heading into flu season. The symptoms between allergies, flu, and COVID-19 are very similar. Knowing your child’s past medical history will help you determine the best call to action for them.
- Newark Catholic is continuing to clean all bathrooms between lunch periods and deep clean them in the evening. Split lunches have helped limit exposure and hallway gatherings are virtually non-existent. Classrooms are disinfected during lunch periods along with handrails, light switches, doorknobs, and anything that a student may come in contact with. The entire building is thoroughly cleaned and disinfected every evening.
