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The Tennessee Board of Regents and Tennessee Technological University have adopted the following policy concerning age restrictions and conditions of employment.
23.2 Age Restrictions
No person under the age of sixteen (16) may be employed by any institution/school/Central Office of the Tennessee Board of Regents. Minors who are sixteen (16) or seventeen (17) may be employed under the following conditions:
A. This employment must not interfere with the minor's health or well-being.
B. If the minor is enrolled in school, this employment may not be during those hours when the minor is required to attend class.
C. A minor must have a 30-minute unpaid break or meal period if scheduled to work 6 hours consecutively. However, the break or meal period may not occur during or before the first hour of scheduled work activity.
23.3 Prohibited Employment
Minors must not be employed in connection with the following:
A. occupations in or about establishments storing explosives or articles containing explosive components or potentially hazardous chemicals;
B. motor vehicle driving occupations;
C. occupations involved in the operation of power-driven wood working machines;
D. occupations involving exposure to radioactive substances and to ionizing radiations;
E. occupations involved in the operation of elevator and other power-driven hoisting apparatus;
F. occupations involved in the operation of power-driven metal forming, punching and shearing machines;
G. occupations involved in the operation of hazardous power- driven bakery machines;
H. occupations involved in the operation of circular saws and band saws;
I. occupations involved in the operation of packing, processing or rendering;
J. occupations involved in the operation of hazardous power- driven paper products machines;
K. occupations involved in wrecking, demolition and ship- breaking operations;
L. occupations involved in roofing operations;
M. occupations in excavation operations.
23.4 Documentation
Before any minor shall be employed, Tennessee Technological University shall obtain from the minor a verification of age by requiring the minor to provide a copy of the minor's birth certificate, or other available evidence such as a baptismal certificate or passport. A valid verification of age shall be conclusive evidence of the age of the minor to whom it is issued (See Exhibit P/P-21).
23.5 Exceptions
23.5.1 The provisions of this policy shall not apply to any minor who: is sixteen (16) or (17) years of age and not enrolled in school or is lawfully excused from compulsory school attendance under Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-6-3005. Copies of documents to support this exception must be in the minor's personnel record maintained by the Human Resource Services Office.
23.5.2 This is the exemption covering the JTPA program: A minor may be employed if he/she is an enrollee in a public employment program which is conducted or funded by the federal government, provided that the employer (JTPA director) has on file in his/her personnel records an unrevoked written statement from a representative of the federal agency administering that program certifying the enrollment of said minor in the program.
23.5.3 Under certain official institution programs designed to attract students at an early age to the health sciences or other fields, individuals under the age of 16 may be employed in those educational programs on a term or summer basis with written approval by the President or his/her designee. All prohibited activities specified in the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and those requirements of the State of Tennessee Child Labor Law must be observed.