Volunteer Information

A volunteer is any individual who performs a service for the school district without compensation, remuneration, or other consideration and who otherwise meets the requirements of this policy. A volunteer must be at least eighteen (18) years of age. A volunteer need not be a parent/guardian of a student enrolled in the school district. A school district student who serves as equipment manager or assistant athletic trainer, or who provides other volunteer assistance in support of a curricular, co-curricular, or extracurricular activity is not considered to be a volunteer for purposes of this policy.

Pennsylvania Act 153 of 2014 requires that all adults who have contact with students, including paid employees and unpaid volunteers, complete comprehensive criminal and child abuse background checks that are kept current and on file with the district.

To ensure proper verification and compliance with state law, the following procedures apply:

• Clearances must be submitted directly to the Superintendent’s Executive Assistant at least seventy-two (72) working hours prior to an individual’s start date to allow sufficient time for review, verification, and approval to start. Merely stating that one has clearances in their possession or on file elsewhere is not sufficient. Clearances must be on file with the District and formally approved before an individual is permitted to work or volunteer in any capacity.

• No individual may begin working or volunteering until written confirmation is received indicating that all required clearances and paperwork have been reviewed and approved by the Superintendent’s Executive Assistant.

• Because these documents contain personally identifiable information, all clearances must be submitted or delivered directly by the individual to the Superintendent's Executive Assistant and may not be shared with or routed through other District employees or administrators. If a third party or District employee possesses copies of an individual’s clearances, the individual must provide written authorization permitting the third party to release the documents to the District Superintendent’s Executive Assistant, in accordance with Pennsylvania State Police auditing guidelines.