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Revised Volunteer Procedures |
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The volunteer procedures have been revised. SDUSD worked with the police to streamline the volunteer procedures to reduce the number of volunteers who need background checks. If you only work in the classroom you may only need a category B application which does not require the background check. If you plan on going on a field trip you will still need a category C application. Details are below.
More than 28,000 volunteers offer invaluable contributions of their time to support our district. On June 9, 2009, Administrative Procedure 4595, School Volunteer Programs, was revised to establish safeguards to further protect our students and school staff and allow for a variety of opportunities for volunteering. The revised procedure required that Category C volunteers submit to a criminal background check completed by the district’s School Police Services Department before the volunteers could begin volunteering in the classroom. To date, School Police Services has processed more than 10,000 criminal background checks. However, due to the extremely high volume of requests and over identification of Category C volunteers, the turnaround time has been longer than was anticipated resulting in delays in allowing the volunteers to begin their volunteer activities.
In response to feedback from schools and the community, I asked the school police services, legal and community relations departments to re-examine the Category C criteria and recommend changes that would streamline the screening process and reduce the number of Category C volunteers without compromising student safety. As a result, the criteria for Category B and C volunteers has been revised. Effective immediately, volunteers in the classroom, under the supervision of the classroom teacher, will be classified as Category B volunteers. Volunteers working with students on-site, but outside of the classroom, field trip drivers and chaperones will be classified as Category C volunteers. As a result of these revisions, more school volunteers will be classified as Category B volunteers.
Administrative Procedure 4595 has been revised to reflect the following changes:
Revised Category B criteria:
Volunteers with group exposure who have little or no direct unsupervised exposure or contact with children, and volunteers with classroom exposure who work with children and are supervised by district staff. Typical examples could include classroom tutoring, classroom reading, classroom assistance and after-school programs where supervised by district personnel, as well as non-classroom volunteers such as office helpers, non-classroom assistance, organized functions associated with school organizations such as PTA, school foundation, Site Council. Volunteer conditions are typically public settings and classrooms where staff or other adults can observe at all times, no solitary time with children, and always within unobstructed view.
Revised Category C criteria:
Volunteers with classroom exposure, who work directly with students, and may have unsupervised time with students, but only while on district property with district personnel on site. Conditions typically are areas outside of the classroom where staff or other adults can observe at most times, but may occasionally include short solitary time with children and short duration of obstructed view, such as on-site tutoring outside of the classroom. This category also includes field trip drivers and field trip chaperones. |
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Last Updated ( Monday, 26 October 2009 )
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