Especially during a period when we are going from an all-ages community space to an 18+ community space, we are operating under the assumption that not all community participants will self-identify accurately or follow our new rules. Since we believe there is a high likelihood that persons under 18 who want to continue participating as they have become accustomed to may masquerade as adults, we believe requiring criminal background checks at this time is the right thing to do.
Given our belief that we will still have minors in our midst, despite our stated rules, California law comes into play. These state laws require criminal background checks for volunteers over 18 who spend 32 hours per year in contact with minors. We recognize that our 2024 programs presided over by MLs are meant for adults, and that any online-centric organization that intends to serve adults may have children lurking. But since we had an open-door policy for minors on our site as recently as three months ago, we believe it prudent to take precautions.
We hope that folks who have concerns about this understand that our goal is community safety, and that given the events of November, we are compelled to err on the side of caution.