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Perkiomen Valley weighs mandating mandated‑reporter training for certain volunteers
Summary
The board debated whether program volunteers and chaperones should complete a roughly three‑hour mandated‑reporter training; members expressed equity and administrative tracking concerns and asked administration to clarify 'program' vs 'guest' volunteers and add training info to the volunteer checklist.
Policy committee members debated whether the district should require mandated‑reporter training for program volunteers and any volunteer who could be alone with students. Doctor Russell said the child‑abuse policy singled out program volunteers for training and proposed aligning Policy 916 to that expectation while retaining an exemption for guest volunteers who are supervised.
Several board members raised equity concerns: a roughly three‑hour online webinar can be a barrier for parents who cannot complete the training before a one‑time chaperone duty. One board member suggested a short pamphlet or attestation for single‑event volunteers rather than the full mandated‑reporter webinar, while others argued the training provides essential knowledge and steps that can help a volunteer act appropriately if they hear a disclosure.
Solicitor Moran noted the district already uses a volunteer checklist and acknowledgement form; he recommended adding mandated‑reporter content to that form to make expectations explicit. Doctor Russell said he would begin conversations with PVEA leadership and building leadership and the administration committed to clarifying the distinction between "program" and "guest" volunteers and to requiring mandated‑reporter training for volunteers who might be left alone with students.
The committee did not adopt new requirements at the meeting but agreed on action items: (1) clarify the volunteer categories in the policy text, (2) require training only for volunteers with potential unsupervised responsibility, and (3) add mandated‑reporter language to the existing volunteer checklist/acknowledgement process so expectations are transparent.
