Committee clarifies volunteer policy; background checks required for unsupervised volunteers
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Summary
Staff explained a revised volunteer policy distinguishing visitors from volunteers and requiring full background checks (including TBI/FBI/sex-offender checks) for volunteers who will have unsupervised access to students; brief, supervised visits would not require the same checks.
The committee reviewed a revised volunteers policy intended to reduce variability in how schools allow visitors and volunteers.
Dr. Brown explained the policy differentiates between a visitor—such as a grandparent attending a one‑time classroom event who is supervised by a teacher—and a volunteer who will have ongoing, unsupervised access to students. "At that, the student might be pulled out to a library...in order for that to occur...that individual will need to go through a background check...the TBI, FBI, [sex‑offender] checks," Dr. Brown said.
Members raised concerns about uniform application across schools, noting instances where grandparents or older volunteers were denied entry because processes were applied inconsistently. Staff said there are two distinct policies (visitor vs volunteer) and that the volunteer policy clarifies when a full background check is required.