Nicole, We just came out of our summer camp season as well. We do not have a special policy for neurodivergent. We have found that a clear policy should be applied to everyone equally. This policy is outlined in a packet available on our website and also sent out to parents before the camp: Camp-Parent-Packet-Explorers.pdf  Basically, we have outlined the behavioral issues that cause camp to fail to function, disruptive behaviors or violence. Parents are told what to expect from our camps and children are given ...Continue Reading

Hey there!  I would suggest the volunteers leading this tour be given additional resources ahead of the tour- potential scenarios, language adjustments, etc.  As far as admission, those aides/specialists sound like they’re required through an IEP or 504 plan. The way we handle that is that they’re free and don’t count towards the ratio we require. Those students would only be able up come with the aid so charge the student and comp the aid. We line that out in our chaperone policy and have a companion tick ...Continue Reading

Hi Amanda,We allow all "school staff" in free, meaning any support staff are free, as well as teachers. For parent chaperones, we allow 1 chaperone for every 10 students to be free. This means schools with different needs can bring the right amount of support, while also attempting to limit too many additional adults. Chelsea On Fri, Aug 7, 2026 at 8:19?AM Nicole Clay nclay@fraziermuseum.org [talk at museum-ed.org] <talk@museum-ed.org> wrote: Hi Amanda,____ We have a set of ratios that w ...Continue Reading

Hi Nicole, We had some behavior challenges at our Girl Scout Overnights and I went to look at the permission slip that the child’s guardian must sign and it includes a check box regarding behavior. It does leave it up to the discretion of the troop leader or adult in charge (we consider our staff the adult in charge, especially if the adults chaperoning are not assisting staff in stopping inappropriate behavior). The link to the form is here: https://www.gscnc.org/content/dam/gscnc-redesign/documents/Caregiver_Permi ...Continue Reading

Just a minor language amendment to my message - the strategies on IEPs and 504s are called "accommodations", not recommendations :) --  Jennie Goldstone, Ed.D. (she/her) EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING SPECIALIST + SOUL PROPRIETOR, LEARNING UNBOUND *From: *Jennie Goldstone <jennie@learningunbound.org> *Date: *Friday, August 7, 2026 at 7:44?AM *To: *talk at museum-ed.org <talk@museum-ed.org> *Subject: *Re: [talk] Classroom management for behavior issues Hi Nicole! I have a couple of tho ...Continue Reading

Hi! I don't work there, but a neighboring museum, the National Museum of Railroad History and Innovation (fka the B&O Railroad Museum) in Baltimore, runs a summer camp specifically for neurodiverse children, and I really admire the policy language they use. https://nationalrailroad.org/events/sensory-inclusive-summer-camp/ More info at the link, but they both request prior disclosure of known aggressive behaviors and any known triggers of those behaviors, and clearly outline the policy and follow up for aggressi ...Continue Reading

Hi Nicole! I have a couple of thoughts: When families are signing their kids up for camp, you might ask if the camper has an IEP (Individualized Education Plan, which students with learning disabilities often get) or a 504 Behavior Plan (which students with challenging social-emotional needs often get), and *if so, if they’d be willing to share the recommendations from those plans with you (not the plan itself, which is confidential, but just the recommended strategies for supporting that child).* Those plans ...Continue Reading

Karen, Here's what ASMH has: https://www.uline.com/BL_2816/Event-Chairs We just got these earlier this year and they are working great! Our old chairs were very heavy and bulky, so the fact that these are significantly lighter are a huge bonus, plus the storage racks are quite easy to move. Jennifer Gray Education & Museum Manager (she/her) Arch Street Meeting House 320 Arch Street Philadelphia, PA 19106 From: talk@museum-ed.org talk@museum-ed.org on behalf of Greg Miller gmiller@sciencemuseumok.org [talk a ...Continue Reading

Hi everyone, I’m looking for a bit of advice and guidance here. We just wrapped up eight weeks of summer camp during which we had a couple of issues that we hadn’t experienced before. During one week of camp, we had to send two different campers’ home and ask that they not return for separate behavior issues. One child was essentially a bully who wouldn’t listen to staff when we tried to correct their behavior and then we trying to talk with their parent the child became verbally abusive to us. While we haven’t nee ...Continue Reading

Hi Amanda, We have a set of ratios that we base the number of required free chaperones on 1:6 for K-3rd, 1:8 for 4th-8th, and 1:10 for 9th-12th. So, if a school is bringing 80 5th graders, then they would be required to have 10 chaperones who would be complimentary and any additional chaperones would have to pay. When it comes to support staff such as aides, interpreters, one-on-ones, etc. they are automatically included as a free chaperone without being a part of the required number of chaperones. If a school neede ...Continue Reading