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Tea Area School District board holds first reading of volunteer background-check policy after DCI audit
Summary
Board members reviewed a first reading of a revised volunteer background-check policy flagged by a DCI audit and discussed options for Level 3 volunteers such as coaches and overnight chaperones; staff will return options to the policy committee before the April meeting.
At a meeting of the Tea Area School District 41-5 Board of Education, trustees held a first reading of revisions to the district’s volunteer background-check policy after a DCI audit flagged the language governing Level 3 volunteers.
The revisions under consideration would remove language that presumed the district could run criminal-background checks for volunteers. Speaker 3, a district staff member, said, “So, Wendy worked through our DCI audit, which is our fingerprinting and those different pieces. And we are going to have to figure out a different way to do our volunteer level 3… Then we have people run a background check. We will have some options for us to consider how we will do that before we formally adopt the policy.”
The change is tied to the audit finding that background-check statutory language applies to employees. Speaker 2, a board member, summarized the legal point in the meeting: “State law for background checks says employees.” Speaker 1, a board member, noted a practical concern about volunteers who travel and stay overnight with students, saying the district must find a workable option so it does not “no longer have volunteer coaches,” which the board considered undesirable.
Board members confirmed volunteers carry workers’ compensation coverage: when Speaker 1 asked whether volunteers are covered under the district’s workers’ comp, Speaker 2 replied, “Yes,” and Speaker 1 added, “They are, but they're not considered employees.”
No formal action was taken at the first reading. The board directed staff to consult with legal counsel and the policy committee and return with options before the April board meeting so the district can both satisfy the DCI audit requirements and maintain volunteer programs such as coaching and chaperoning.
