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Board sends volunteer-background policy (5.005) to detailed discussion after lifetime-ban concerns
Summary
Trustees moved policy 5.005 into a discussion item at the next meeting after staff raised concerns that the draft's wording could bar volunteers for lifetime offenses; staff suggested adding an 'unsupervised' qualifier to narrow prohibitions.
Administration presented draft Policy 5.005 and associated volunteer forms that would require disclosures for specified convictions. Staff said the current draft could be interpreted to bar people from volunteering for conduct that occurred decades earlier because there is no statute-of-limitations language.
An administrator recommended narrowing the policy to prohibit only volunteers with convictions that would prevent unsupervised contact with students rather than imposing an absolute lifetime ban. "When I worked with Sean Mumford, he suggested that we just add the word 'unsupervised,' and then that would solve it versus all volunteers," an administrator said.
Trustees expressed concern about legal liability and the need for a clear, consistent process for vetting volunteers, including role-specific limitations (for example, permitting classroom help but not student transportation). The board voted to move the item to the next meeting’s discussion agenda so members can review proposed language and procedures.
No changes to volunteer approvals were implemented at this meeting; the board tasked staff with drafting clearer forms and procedures that define which convictions disqualify volunteers from unsupervised roles.
