There are many opportunities to volunteer in RSS. Business and education partnerships are unique to the identified needs of individual schools. Volunteers serve in a wide array of tasks that support the goals and mission of RSS and the school where they volunteer. Volunteers can bring a wealth of energy, talents, skills, and caring to our schools and our students. Their time and efforts have made a significant contribution to our schools and students. Some of the ways that community volunteers may be involved are:
- Tutor a student
- Be a mentor for a student
- Read with a student
- Organize a school volunteer program
- Be a speaker for schools
- Provide clerical assistance to a school or a teacher
- Chaperone field trips
A priority for the RSS is to ensure students’ safety in the school environment. The screening of volunteers is part of this effort. Screening is dependent on the assigned task, the degree of supervision of the volunteer and the nature and extent of the volunteer’s contact with the students. The level of volunteer screening will increase as a volunteer’s contact with the student(s) increases and the degree of staff supervision decreases. There are several methods which may be used by schools for screening of volunteers including: completion of a volunteer profile at the individual school(s), interviews by appropriate school staff, reference checks, criminal and other background checks, and orientations and trainings provided at the school level or by Communities in Schools of Rowan County (CIS). However, all who volunteer on a regular basis are required to have a criminal background check through CIS. Regular basis is defined as those volunteering five (5) or more hours per month. A criminal background check is not required for community persons, grandparents, or other family members who visit the school in order to participate in special school events, i.e. field days, book fairs, to serve as guest speakers and/or to attend assemblies or other school programs as long as they are properly supervised by school staff. Community persons serving as mentors for the required NC Graduation Project for high seniors will not be required to have a background check. Schools will develop and implement plans for utilizing volunteers. School volunteer programs must provide the following:
- Principal or his/her designee must coordinate and oversee the volunteer program, including reasonable supervision of all volunteers by school system employee(s);
- Principal or his/her designee must approve person(s) volunteering in the school before sending Volunteer Application to CIS;
- Adequate screening, including a criminal background check, which is valid for a
period of three calendar years, of all volunteers who volunteer on a regular basis (five or more hours per month) shall be provided by CIS before a volunteer is assigned a task in a school; - Orientation and training for all volunteers must be held prior to person(s)
volunteering in a school. The orientation and training may be provided by the school or CIS by the school sending the appropriate Volunteer Application to CIS; - Volunteers must sign in at the school office upon arrival to the school and sign out when leaving the school. A log of volunteers and their respective activities will be maintained at each school and shared with CIS on a quarterly basis;
- Volunteers are required to have a criminal background check to accompany students on field trips;
- Volunteers are not to transport students or their families in private vehicles;
- Volunteers are expected to respect and maintain the confidentiality of information about students, staff, other parents, and the school community;
- All volunteer coaches must have a criminal background check prior to coaching;
- Volunteers must be professionally dressed and exhibit professional conduct;
- Principal or his/her designee reserves the right to not approve a volunteer for
services or to terminate a volunteer at any time