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District moves volunteer and hiring policy revisions back to discussion for clarification
Summary
The board discussed a draft volunteer/hiring policy that adds supervised/unsupervised volunteer classifications, clarifies background-check processes and proposes periodic re-checks; trustees asked the superintendent to research age thresholds and drug-testing rules and return revised language before a future vote.
The board kept proposed revisions to the volunteer and hiring policy in discussion after staff outlined clarifications intended to strengthen student safety and transparency in hiring.
Superintendent Kim (speaking as district staff lead on the item) said the draft adds clear definitions for "supervised" and "unsupervised" volunteer access and creates forms to show whether a volunteer is cleared to be unsupervised. The change is meant to provide a consistent way to document and communicate a volunteer's clearance level, Kim said.
Kim also described how the draft addresses disqualifying offenses and noted ambiguities about age thresholds in the printed packet (a paragraph referencing age 16 or 19 was missing from the printed copy). Board members asked why the draft used 16 as the unsupervised-volunteer cutoff and whether the district could raise that to 18; Kim said she would research state legal guidance and update the draft accordingly.
The superintendent discussed background checks: volunteers receive Washington State Patrol checks, while employees undergo FBI fingerprint backtrack checks; she proposed considering periodic re-checks (every five to ten years) as a protective measure, acknowledging costs and the need to consult the union. Kim also said she would research drug-testing policy for employees who drive district vehicles and report back.
The board voted to move the item forward for additional public discussion and requested the updated draft language be circulated prior to further action. No policy was adopted at the meeting.
