Physical Safety

Student safety is a high priority for all involved with SDMC. Our activities in themselves do not expose students to any uncommon hazards and there is nothing uncommonly hazardous about the UCSD campus areas we use. From time to time we use diverse areas of the campus, which differ in the details of their particular environments, so families should pay attention to understand each environment that arises and plan for safe participation, particularly as relates to student drop off and pick up and student conduct when not physically in class (before, after, and on breaks). Some examples:

Russel Lane. This is the two-lane road adjacent to Pepper Canyon Hall where classes are sometimes held. Drop off and pick up at Pepper Canyon Hall may involve crossing Russell Lane (at the designated crosswalk) or entrances to nearby parking areas, all of which may have active traffic.

Muir Lane. This is the two-lane road adjacent to the Applied Physics and Mathematics Building where classes are sometimes held. Drop off and pick up at the APM may involve crossing Muir Lane (at the designated crosswalk) or entrances to nearby parking or loading, all of which may have active traffic.

Open elevated walkways. There are several of these around the APM building. All have appropriate railings, but even so, horseplay in such areas should be avoided.

Stairways and unused floors of buildings. At Pepper Canyon Hall there is a massive open stairway that is tempting to students for play. It is an SDMC rule that students should stay off of this stair, both for their own safety and to avoid elevating unnecessary noise to the upper floors of the building. Generally. at any campus location, students should not wander off into rooms or floors of buildings to which we are not assigned and should avoid letting noise levels disturb others on campus.

UCSD equipment. The UCSD Campus is an active workplace. Most classrooms contain AV equipment and/or electrical connections, and hallways and other common areas may contain miscellaneous equipment, all of which students must refrain from disturbing.

Exploration. The UCSD campus can be an interesting environment for children to explore, but it is an environment designed for adults. Parents and students need to understand that students must remain together in approved areas and under adult supervision at all times.

Late drop off / early pick up. Occasionally a student arrives late or must depart early. This is fine in principle, but parents must assume the responsibility for escorting their student to or from the class already in session.

Parents - do not instruct your students to meet you at any other place or at any other time than the standard drop-off and pick-up point at the beginning and of any math circle activity. The demands of student safety place a strong responsibility upon parents to pick students up promptly at the close of any math circle activity at the designated location.

Online Safety

Trends in education and in society are making ever increasing use of computers and networking methods that increasingly involve students with remote, independent entities not under our control and impossible for us to fully vet, over networks that are impossible to fully secure. While SDMC exercises great care to safeguard student and family information and to provide a safe context for student learning, it must be acknowledged that networked activities involve vulnerabilities that are beyond SDMC's ability to fully assess or control. Examples:

Online classes using video conferencing software (e.g., Zoom Video, Google Meets, etc.).

Online examinations through remote platforms (e.g., the online AIME administered by AoPS).

Online learning tools (e.g., AMC Advantage, IXL, Alcumus, etc.)

(Even some "old school" paper-based activities may now ask for student email addresses as part of standard personal information.) It is important, therefore, for parents to exercise their own due diligence to understand the risks such activities entail and to exercise their own discretion in deciding which of such activities they wish to permit their students to join.