924 Procedure: School Volunteers

I.    GENERAL VOLUNTEER PROCEDURES

A.    Safety of students is paramount.  The school district encourages and promotes the involvement of volunteers to support programs and activities of the district. Procedures for screening and placement of volunteers are in place to provide efficient and standardized guidelines that support safe environments for staff, students and volunteers.   

B.    Community members may volunteer for positions during the school day or for coaching/advisory positions for co-curricular or extra- curricular activities.

C.    Each site administrator will be responsible for volunteer coordination for his or her site.   

D.    The role of the site administrator will be to recruit, screen, place, recognize and provide access to the district volunteer training handbook.  The site administrator works closely with school staff to identify volunteer needs, create volunteer opportunities and match volunteers to appropriate assignments.

E.    The site administrator works in partnership with site staff to provide supervision and support to the volunteer.  

II.    RISK MANAGEMENT

The school district maintains a Volunteer Program Risk Management plan.  Under the Plan, the school district assesses risks (to people and property) and identifies strategies for eliminating or minimizing those risks. Procedures for screening volunteers at schools will consider the duties to be performed, whether or not the volunteer work is directly supervised by a staff person, the location of the duties, and whether or not the volunteer will be working with students.  

III.     VOLUNTEER APPLICATION PROCESS

A.    Volunteers for coach and advisory positions.  The following procedures apply to individuals volunteering for co-curricular and extra-curricular activities if the volunteer will be alone with a child or children without direct staff supervision.  At each site, the Activities Coordinator or Business Manager or his or her designee will match the volunteer with the appropriate assignment and track volunteer information.

1. The Activities Coordinator, Business Manager or designee will provide a Background Check Authorization Form (2012 Revision).
2. The completed Volunteer Background Check Authorization Form is sent to the school district human resources department (HR).
3. HR initiates a criminal background check. Fees for co-curricular background checks will be billed to the school district Division of Leadership Teaching and Learning (DLTL) by HR.  For other volunteer positions, the volunteer pays the fee.  
4. HR determines whether the volunteer applicant is cleared to volunteer.  HR will inform the school site Activities Coordinator, Business Manager or designee of that determination.   
5. If the volunteer is not cleared, HR and the Activities Coordinator, Business Manager or designee will determine any next steps.  
6. Activities Coordinators Business Managers or designees inform the volunteer about their eligibility to serve as a volunteer based on background check results.  
7. A volunteer does NOT coach/advise until he/she has received clearance.   

B.    Volunteers for school day volunteer positions.  The following procedures apply to individuals volunteering for those activities or programs during the school day and excluding coaching and advising for co-curricular or extra-curricular activities: 

1. The site administrator directs volunteers to the online District Volunteer Application page.
2. The  site administrator determines if a Criminal History Background Check must be completed.   A criminal history background check will be initiated by   the site administrator if the prospective volunteer answers ‘yes’ to any of the three background disclosure questions on the application and/or if the volunteer assignment is one in which the volunteer will work alone with a child or children without direct staff supervision.
   a. The school district Human Resource department reviews the criminal background of volunteers and considers the type of offense, the length of time since the offense, any rehabilitation, and other relevant factors in determining eligibility to volunteer. 

C.    Field Trip Volunteers.  A criminal background check is required on all volunteer chaperones who may be alone with any student. A school may allow a volunteer to chaperone a school event without a criminal background check if the school makes arrangements to have two volunteers working together at all times. The school’s site administrator will work with the school staff to make sure that appropriate coverage or checks are performed.

D.    Volunteer Handbook/Orientation.  Site Administrators will provide volunteers with a link to the online handbook.  Site Administrators may provide an orientation session.  The orientation is a basic overview of expectations that includes basic volunteer procedures and specific building rules. 

IV.    School district employees who apply to volunteer: The following procedures apply to ISD 279 employees who wish to volunteer:

A.    The site administrator directs volunteers to the online District Volunteer Application page.

B.    For employees who are exempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), employees must:

1. Consult with their supervisor to volunteer during scheduled work hours
2. Complete their assigned work
3. Ensure that their volunteer work does not interfere with their primary role 

C.    Employees who are in non-exempt positions under the FLSA may not volunteer during their regular workday.  

1. Non-exempt employees must notify their supervisor before volunteering at any school site or event. 
2. Non-exempt employees may not volunteer for any job or duties that fall under their regular job assignment. 

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Adopted/Revised
Adopted: 06/20/2017    

Legal References
29 U.S.C. §§ 206, 207
Minn. Stat. § 123B.03

Cross References
Policy 423 Employee-Student Relationships
Policy 515 Protection and Privacy of Education Records