Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Every school should do background checks on all volunteers.
Those that have things on their records, will most likely stay away from school volunteering if it's a known fact that background checks will be done.
That said, I've met some really weird/mental moms, PTA members, which in my opinion, should not be working with kids at all, especially not be volunteering in the school 24/7. Just because someone does not have anything on his/her record yet, does not mean that person is ok to be around kids.
Very true I've run into some pretty crazy volunteer moms' myself.
P.S. The biggest creeps I've ever known have absolutely no record. Pedophiles check should be mandatory but most people get in trouble and clean up their act. It's people that repeatedly get away with theirselves that we need to watch out for.
They do. I am a volunteer who passed a background check many times for several jobs including teaching. My husband applied to volunteer in the school where he could maybe tutor or work for the PTA, etc. He was rejected due to the fact that he had a DWI over ten years ago!!! No record at all since. How this is related to tutoring kids or volunteering at the Fall Fair is beyond me. This is an urban district that has huge problems getting volunteers-especially dads. So they definitely do a background check.
He'd love to volunteer for Boy Scouts as well but we are afraid to pursue it.
That's weird. I had two DWIs in the 80's but I was accepted as a volunteer coach and scout leader starting in about 2002.
I never really thought about it, but I'm wondering why our schools don't. The doors are locked, you have to be buzzed in and get a visitor sticker, but no background checks for volunteers.
TGBWC, I was in the same district as you and that is partially true. Parents and family members who volunteer in their child's school do not need a background check, but volunteers coming from other places do. I was involved in the county's mentoring program and they have specific guidelines for background check and fingerprinting, even police officers need to go through it if they are volunteering as a mentor. Now...... Does that happen in every school? It's up to the building administrator but if they are smart they should. Not saying they all follow it though. Maybe because of the size of the district, there is even a lot of disparity on the visitors check when entering a building. I've seen elementarys where you just type in your name and it issues a badge but one high school I needed to run my drivers license through their set up.
For regular volunteers who work in the elementary, there was a background check and a document in which we agreed not to divulge student information. We also had photo badges. I do not recall if parent chaperones were required to have one for accompanying an off-site field trip. I don't think so, but I might have missed it because I was already cleared. At the middle school, all visitor's photo IDs are scanned by security at sign in. I've never volunteered there, so I'm not sure about the protocol. The high school is complicated, but generally parents aren't on campus as volunteers.
I was at my daughters school today for a regularly scheduled volunteer day, which I have been doing pretty much since the second month of school. I had been surprised that I was not asked to do a background check and fingerprinting as I work with the kids and not always in the classroom. The secretary told me that they don't require it if you are not working one on one with the kids behind closed doors. I am concerned about this. They may have volunteers walking around with records and they don't seem to think this is a problem. I was like, yeah I do the reading program in the hallway and other adults do walk by from time to time, but what if I were one of "those" people? I could take one of the kids into the bathroom and no one would know Also, volunteers go on field trips, what's to say a sicko volunteer wouldn't take a kid somewhere private? We have lived in 4 states now and Arizona is the only state that has not required the fingerprinting and background checks. What is your opinion?
Yes, we all have to have a background check to enter the campus unless it's a semi public event like an art show. Every person on a field trip or to just eat lunch with your kid, needs a background check.
Our school district is rather small in northwestern Minnesota and to be hired as a para they do checks... but if a parent wants to go along on a field trip or stop by for lunch they can do so without any checks. The front doors of the schools are always open and you can go in at your leisure. Our school district's room used for half day pre-school oom in in the middle school, and when I brought our kids there last school year you just walk in and go down the hallway to the room and drop them off. You could walk around any hallway and no questions asked.
But again we are a pretty small district where you pretty much know everybody. There is no security personnel at our schools.... except maybe at the high school level but not sure. Only time I have been into the high school was for sporting events and of course anyone can wander in and out at that time.
I was at my daughters school today for a regularly scheduled volunteer day, which I have been doing pretty much since the second month of school. I had been surprised that I was not asked to do a background check and fingerprinting as I work with the kids and not always in the classroom. The secretary told me that they don't require it if you are not working one on one with the kids behind closed doors. I am concerned about this. They may have volunteers walking around with records and they don't seem to think this is a problem. I was like, yeah I do the reading program in the hallway and other adults do walk by from time to time, but what if I were one of "those" people? I could take one of the kids into the bathroom and no one would know Also, volunteers go on field trips, what's to say a sicko volunteer wouldn't take a kid somewhere private? We have lived in 4 states now and Arizona is the only state that has not required the fingerprinting and background checks. What is your opinion?
They should. But to my knowledge, none do. They don't want the hassle, and figure no one would volunteer.
I believe that all of the school districts in my area require back ground checks, that are done by the police department, for all parent volunteers. In the schools that I am familiar with, that means any parent that volunteers in a classroom or at a function such as a book fair and any parent that goes on a fieldtrip must have passed a back ground check.
If you want to eat lunch with your child or attend an activity such as a concert, classroom play or classroom presentation you have to sign in at the office and can not interact 1 to 1 with any child except your own child (for example, you couldn't take a couple of children to the bathroom or listen to a child read in the hallway).
When our school first started doing this a number of years ago a lot of parents grumbled but now everyone is so used to it that it works out well. Parents are reminded of it each year, that they can get approval before they ask to volunteer or go on a fieldtrip. Classroom always have far more parents requesting to go on fieldtrips then there are spots available so I do not think that it has effected the amount of volunteers.
BTW, the parents fill out a basic form and that form is sent directly to the police department. The school office is only notified of the parents that pass so there isn't a problem with confidentiality.
At my old district to volunteer you had to do a simple background check, no fingerprints, but everyone who anything where they "might" interact with the kids at all had to have them. In my current district only those that will be left alone with kids have to have them. Also, if you volunteer more than 15 hours a week you have to fill out an employment application, complete with references and fingerprints.
__________________
When I post in bold red that is moderator action and, per the TOS, can only be discussed through Direct Message.
Moderator - Diabetes and Kentucky (including Lexington & Louisville)
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I've run into some pretty crazy volunteer moms' myself.
The secretary told me that they don't require it if you are not working one on one with the kids behind closed doors
. I am concerned about this. They may have volunteers walking around with records and they don't seem to think this is a problem. I was like, yeah I do the reading program in the hallway and other adults do walk by from time to time, but what if I were one of "those" people? I could take one of the kids into the bathroom and no one would know
Also, volunteers go on field trips, what's to say a sicko volunteer wouldn't take a kid somewhere private? We have lived in 4 states now and Arizona is the only state that has not required the fingerprinting and background checks. What is your opinion?
