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Board approves VIPs volunteer contract after commenter urges clearer background‑check coordination
Summary
The board approved an $83,000 contract with Volunteers in Public Schools (VIPs) for Everybody Reads and Partners in Education (Title I funding). Public commenter Nicole Fitzgerald urged more consistent, district-level coordination of volunteer background checks; the board said a policy requires background checks and is being enforced.
The East Baton Rouge Parish School Board Committee of the Whole on July 9 approved a professional‑service contract with Volunteers in Public Schools (VIPs) for $83,000 to support Everybody Reads, Everyone Counts and Partners in Education (Title I funds).
Public commenter Nicole Fitzgerald, who said she previously worked in district schools, praised VIPs’ work but said the district lacked a consistent, coordinated process to get volunteers through background checks. "I think we can all agree that we want anyone in our school to be background checked and make sure that they're safe," Fitzgerald said, and she urged a coordinated district-level process so school staff do not have to manage checks locally.
A board member responded that a policy requiring background checks for volunteers and paid contractors is in place and staff reported they are ensuring compliance. Board members asked staff to follow up and consider whether policy language or administrative procedures should be refined to make verification easier for principals and school staff. The motion to approve the VIPs contract carried on a voice vote.
