Fairfax County School Board members spent extensive time at their Aug. 28 meeting discussing public concerns about a new volunteer management system and background‑check protocols that require fingerprinting for volunteers with unsupervised access to students.

The nut graf: the board said the goal is to balance volunteer access with student safety, but multiple speakers and board members described a rocky rollout, unclear communications, and uneven school‑level implementation that has frustrated parents, PTA leaders and volunteer coordinators.

Board discussion and multiple public commenters described several specific problems: confusing online sign‑up instructions, inconsistent phone‑based and online messaging, questions about which volunteer “tier” requires fingerprinting, and concerns that photo‑permission and visitor rules would limit parents from taking photos at events or contributing photos to yearbooks. “This could deter some parent volunteers,” said board member Pat Dixon (public comment speakers also raised similar concerns). Several board members called for satellite fingerprinting events and clearer communications to PTAs and families.

Superintendent Dr. Reed and HR and volunteer‑services staff said the system uses tiering to narrow full fingerprint background checks to volunteers who will have unsupervised or frequent student contact (level 3). Human Resources official reported that level‑3 volunteers are those who would serve as mentors or chaperones with wide access, while level‑1 or level‑2 volunteers have more limited access and different checks. Staff told the board they would provide rollout clarifications to the community and meet with PTA leaders to smooth the process.

Board members requested data: counts of volunteers who have started and completed fingerprinting and how many were delayed by the change. Superintendent staff agreed to supply that information in an upcoming Friday letter and to consider satellite or regional fingerprinting events to improve accessibility.

Ending: FCPS leaders emphasized they will continue refining communications and processes while retaining the background‑check changes that require fingerprinting for volunteers with unsupervised student access. The board asked staff for follow‑up data and operational fixes to reduce burden on families.