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Washington County coroner allowed to host short student shadowing visits
Summary
The Washington County Public Safety Committee voted to allow three students to shadow the county coroner in a limited, supervised program with parental permissions and liability language, the coroner said at the meeting.
At a Washington County Public Safety Committee meeting, the coroner asked for and received committee approval to allow three students to shadow office activities for part of a day, with conditions including parental permission forms and no transportation by coroner staff.
The coroner said the request grew from a local criminal-justice class and that the students would see office procedures, an online death-certificate system, and tours at a cooperating funeral home and hospital, including a morgue tour and a talk from a forensic pathologist. "We would show them the tox instrument. We would let them ... practice with 1 of those," the coroner said.
Committee members raised legal and safety concerns. One member said parents must provide written permission and an itinerary so the county would not be responsible for transportation or travel safety. Another member recommended liability language be included in the permission forms. The coroner confirmed the students would provide their own transportation and that county staff would not drive them.
A motion to allow the shadowing program passed on a voice vote after discussion. Committee members specified that parental permission slips must include protections for the county and the itinerary for any off-site visits.
The coroner said follow-up communications about scheduling and logistics should go to county staff member Leanne.
The committee did not discuss or approve any changes to coroner staffing or budget related to the shadowing program.
