IJOC-R  

REGULATION

SCHOOL  VOLUNTEERS

Requests to serve as volunteers shall be made directly to the Superintendent or the Superintendent's designee, school principal, or a site-based support group such as parent-teacher organizations.

Any volunteer who is not a parent or guardian of a student attending a school within the District, or any nonparental community volunteer must be cleared by the appropriate principal/director.  A volunteer application must be completed and on file (duplicates should be sent to other places where the citizen volunteers).  The principal/director that first receives the application shall determine clearance.

Any community volunteer who is required or allowed to provide services directly to students without the supervision of a certificated employee shall be fingerprinted as a condition of volunteering.  For the purposes of this policy, "direct supervision" means under the direction of and, except for brief periods of time during a school day or a school activity, within sight of a certificated employee when providing direct services to students.

Prior to beginning service for the District, each volunteer shall be given a copy of the Volunteer Handbook and an Emergency/Registration Card.  The handbook contains important regulations of which volunteers must be informed.  The card shall be completed by the volunteer and submitted to the school office.

Volunteers must sign in/out at the appropriate office when reporting to or leaving work.  They will wear identification badges while working.  All name badges must be obtained at the school office at the time of signing in, name badges will be returned to the school office at the end of the volunteers' work day.

General guidelines for volunteers:

●  Volunteers, in all instances, shall work under the direct supervision of school personnel.  When a volunteer works directly with students, the activities shall be under the direct supervision of a teacher or an administrator.

●  Because school personnel are responsible for the instruction, safety, and discipline of students, there are several tasks which are not to be performed by volunteers.  Volunteers shall not provide the curriculum or teaching plans, diagnose student needs, evaluate achievement, or counsel or discipline students.  Volunteers shall not have access to student records.

●  Examples of some of the tasks that may be performed by volunteers include tutoring, providing clerical assistance, grading papers, providing classroom assistance, sharing travel experiences, helping edit creative writing, assisting the school nurse, assisting with summer school and registration, and participating in field trips.

Each school or department shall:

●  Publicize needs, recruit, and identify volunteers.

●  Perform a reference check on all nonparental or legal guardian community volunteers and ensure that all new community volunteers of the same complete all required forms.

●  Ensure the fingerprinting of all new community volunteers who are required or allowed to provide services directly to students without the supervision of a certificated employee.

●  Communicate with teachers and administrators, and other volunteer organizations in assessing various needs that may be fulfilled by volunteers' assistance.  The department also will conduct orientation for new community volunteers, and will assist those volunteers to feel welcome in the District by providing information and assistance to them.

●  Assist schools and offices in locating individuals who possess special talents and abilities needed by the schools.

●  Semi-annually report from the schools and sites to the Governing Board regarding progress and problems of community participation and recommend appropriate steps to ensure optimum benefit by community participants in school programs.

LEGAL REF.: 
A.R.S.
15-512