The Governing Board recognizes that volunteer assistance in schools can enrich the educational program, increase supervision of students, and contribute to school safety while strengthening the schools' relationships with the community. The Board encourages parents/guardians and other members of the community to share their time, knowledge, and abilities with students.
The Superintendent or designee may authorize the use of volunteers and develop and implement a plan for recruiting, screening and placing volunteers, including strategies for reaching underrepresented groups of parents/guardians and community members. He/she may also recruit community members to serve as mentors to students and/or make appropriate referrals to community organizations. The Superintendent shall also establish procedures to protect the safety of both students and volunteers.
All volunteers must submit to tuberculosis testing or examinations as authorized or required by law. (Education Code 49406). The Superintendent, at his or her discretion, may also excuse a volunteer from tuberculosis testing or examination if the volunteer's duties do not involve frequent or prolonged contact with students.
The Superintendent also requires that volunteers working with students in a student activity program be cleared through a Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation criminal background check prior to beginning volunteer duties. (Education Code 49024)
Volunteers shall act in accordance with district policies and regulations.
(cf. 1000 - Concepts and Roles)
(cf. 0410 - Nondiscrimination in District Programs and Activities)
(cf. 1230 - School-Connected Organizations)
(cf. 1400 - Relations Between Other Governmental Agencies and the Schools)
(cf. 1700 - Relations Between Private Industry and the Schools)
(cf. 4127 - Temporary Athletic Team Coaches)
(cf. 4222 - Teacher aides/Paraprofessionals)
(cf. 5020 - Parent Rights and Responsibilities)
(cf. 6020 - Parent Involvement)
(cf. 6171 - Title I Programs)
The Superintendent or designee shall be responsible for investigating and resolving complaints regarding volunteers.
The Board prohibits harassment of any volunteer on the basis of race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, sexual orientation, or military and veteran status. (Government Code 12940)
(cf. 0410 - Nondiscrimination in District Programs and Activities)
As appropriate, the Superintendent or designee shall provide volunteers with information about school goals, programs, and practices and an orientation or other training related to their specific responsibilities. Employees who supervise volunteers shall ensure that volunteers are assigned meaningful responsibilities that utilize their skills and expertise and maximize their contribution to the educational program.
Volunteer work shall be limited to those projects that do not replace the normal duties of classified staff. The Board nevertheless encourages volunteers to work on short-term projects to the extent that they enhance the classroom or school and comply with employee negotiated agreements.
(cf. 4141/4241 - Collective Bargaining Agreement)
The Superintendent or designee shall establish procedures for determining whether volunteers possess the qualifications, if any, required by law and administrative regulation for the types of duties they will perform.
The Board encourages principals to develop a means for recognizing the contributions of each school's volunteers.
(cf. 1150 - Commendations and Awards)
The Superintendent or designee shall periodically report to the Board regarding the district's volunteer assistance program.
(cf. 0500 - Accountability)
Legal Reference:
EDUCATION CODE
8482 - 8484.6 After School Education and Safety program
8484.7 - 8484.9 21st Century Community Learning Center Program
35021 Volunteer aides
35021.1 Automated records check
35021.3 Registry of volunteers for before/after school programs
44010 Sex offense; definition
44227.5 Classroom participation by college level teaching methodology faculty
44814 - 44815 Supervision of students during lunch and nutritional periods
45125 Fingerprinting requirements
45125.01 Interagency agreements for criminal record information
45340 -4 5349 Instructional aides
45344.5 Instructional aide; proficiency in basic skills
45347 Instructional aides as classified employees
45349 Volunteers
45360 - 45367 Teacher aides
48981 Parental notifications
49024 Activity Supervisor Clearance Certificate
49406 Examination for tuberculosis
GOVERNMENT CODE
3543.5 Prohibited interference with employees rights
42940 Prohibited discrimination and harassment
96100 - 96114 Academic Volunteer and Mentor Service Act of 1992
HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE
1596.871 Fingerprints of individuals in contact with child care facility clients
121545 Volunteers; certificates on file
LABOR CODE
1720.4 Public works; exclusion of volunteers from prevailing wage law
PENAL CODE
290 Registration of sex offenders
290.4 Information regarding sex offenders
290.95 Disclosure by person required to register as sex offender
626.81 Sex offender; permission to volunteer at school
CODE OF REGULATIONS. TITLE 22
101170 Criminal record clearance
101216 Health screening, volunteers in child care centers
UNITED STATES CODE, TITLE 20
6319 Qualifications and duties of paraprofessionals, Title I programs
PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS BOARD DECISIONS
Whisman Elementary School District, (1991) PERB Decision No. 868
Management Resources
WEB SITES
CSBA: http://www.csba.org
California Department of Education, Parents Family and Community: http://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/pf
California Department of Justice, Megan's Law: http://www.meganslaw.ca.gov
California Parent Teacher Association: http://www.capta.org
Commission on Teacher Credentialing: http://www.ctc.ca.gov
Policy ELK GROVE UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
adopted: October 6, 1997 Elk Grove, California
revised: August 16, 2016