Did you know that in California, it’s illegal for employers to discriminate against potential employees that are within a protected class? A protected class can be race, marital status, pregnancy, religion, or gender identity/gender expression.
Non-discrimination laws in California prohibit discrimination within all business practices, including hiring, transferring, promoting, terminating, or separating employees. These laws stem from Title IX of the Civil Rights Bill of 1964.
What does this mean for your child’s outdoor education experience?
Really, it means high-quality outdoor education programs have interviewed and hired the best candidate pool, and the staff is prepared and well qualified.
Pali Institute, for example, interviews and hires from a larger pool of candidates, which means that we’ve explored all the potential talent and chosen the best possible candidates. This ensures an exceptional experience for your students and children.
Learn more about non-discrimination laws in California and how they relate to your child’s outdoor education experience.
What are the 10 Protected Classes in California?
There are specific guidelines when it comes to discrimination laws in California to ensure equal opportunity and representation in the workplace. Here are the ten protected classes:
- Race
- Color
- Religion (includes religious dress and grooming practices)
- Sex/gender (includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and/or related medical conditions)
- Gender identity, gender expression
- Sexual orientation
- Marital status
- Medical Condition (genetic characteristics, cancer or a record or history of cancer)
- Military or veteran status
- National origin (includes language use and possession of a driver’s license issued to persons unable to provide their presence in the United State is authorized under federal law)
- Ancestry
- Disability (mental and physical including HIV/AIDS, cancer, and genetic characteristics)
- Genetic information
- Request for family care leave
- Request for leave for an employee’s own serious health condition
- Request for Pregnancy Disability Leave
- Retaliation for reporting patient abuse in tax-supported institutions
- Age (over 40)
Non-Discrimination at Camps and How They Affect The Outdoor Education Experience
As employers, camps and outdoor education programs are no exception to non-discriminatory hiring. These programs are obligated to ensure their staff is qualified to guide your children or students and ensure their safety.
When parents and teachers send their children and students to camp or educational events, they should feel confident that the students are safe and comfortable. The staff should be well-trained to handle different situations and make the experience fun and educational. This is why hiring based on these attributes—rather than on discriminatory ones—is so important.
Hiring at Pali Institute
At Pali Institute, our hiring process aligns with the California state non-discrimination laws, and we interview and train our staff extensively to make sure they’re ready for outdoor education. We’re committed to (and proud of) offering equal opportunity to potential employees as well as the highest quality outdoor education experience for students.
To do this, we hire based on work ethic, positive attitude, commitment to student learning and safety, and thorough training and background checks. Our background checks allow us to vet potential employees by ensuring there are no allegations of misconduct in their past.
As a premier outdoor education program in California, we want to provide safety and support to both staff and campers. Compliance with state and federal laws is just the start of how we do that. Pali is also accredited by the Association for Experiential Education (AEE) and the Western Association of Schools & Colleges (WASC) to ensure outdoor education students and staff operate in an appropriate educational environment.
Visit Us for a Safe, Educational, and Fun Outdoor Experience
Now that you know a bit more about the hiring process at Pali and our commitment to student safety and learning through exceptional staff, we hope to see you soon! If you have any questions at all about our staff or outdoor education program, feel free to contact us today.
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