People who are under the age of 18 are not allowed to sign contracts or accept terms of use on their own. There are also restrictions that prevent them from consenting to being on camera, to being recorded, or to being able to schedule their own Zoom meetings. Some of these restrictions are federal law, some are state law, some are The Ohio State University's interpretations of the law, and others are contract provisions.
To abide by related policies in a time when learning almost always involves digital tools, the Office of Technology and Digital Innovation's (OTDI) Learning Systems team worked with the University Registrar to create a minor waiver process. This process was utilized for the first time in spring 2024.
What Students Should Expect
Students who are under the age of 18 on the first day of class will have an item in their BuckeyeLink To Do list to have their parent or guardian sign a waiver allowing them to use software that they otherwise could not use.
The waiver uses DocuSign. The parent or guardian does not need to pick and choose which software to allow – the waiver essentially grants authorization for any application usage that would be restricted.
The minor waiver only has to be signed once. If the waiver is on file, the student is treated as if they are over 18 in subsequent semesters.
What to Expect as an Instructor
About a week before the start of a semester, you will receive an email from the Registrar’s office to inform you about minor students in your course who have not yet had the waiver signed. You will also receive a message the day after any additional underage students add your course.
These emails only concern minor students without waivers on file – they do not include minor students with completed waivers, and as such should not be viewed as a comprehensive list of minor students in your course.
You will receive follow-up emails to update you when these students have completed the minor waiver process.
Emails will only be sent when there is a new enrollment or a new signed waiver; you will not get daily emails. You will continue to receive these minor waiver messages (if needed) through the first week of second session classes.
If the Minor Waiver is Not Signed
If you require students to download or use instructional tools for exam proctoring, class recording, or similar activities, you must offer an alternative for minor students without signed waivers.
Browse our Teaching Topics to learn about various strategies for creating alternate assignments and assessments, or reach out to the Learning Systems team to ask more detailed questions.
You may ask a student (via email or private conversation) to have their parent or guardian review the waiver and provide consent. You may also provide information about the alternatives (or lack of alternatives) you can offer if the waiver is not signed.