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I want to communicate some important information out to all of our wonderful volunteers who give of their time and energy to make our school a better place for students and staff. Per county protocol, that went into effect a while ago, people who volunteer at school need to be vetted and cleared through the FCPS HR department. Not only because this is county protocol, we are also taking these measures to ensure that our students are in the safest environment as possible. Important to note, even if you have a government security clearance, you still need to go through the process. Additionally, even though volunteers have to get a new badge each year, returning volunteers do not have to go through the fingerprinting process each year, as the county has a separate process in place for returning volunteers.
The following volunteers will need to be cleared through our HR department in order to volunteer:
- People who volunteer on a regular or consistent basis
- Sponsors/Leads/Coaches for clubs or organizations
- Room parents
The following people do not need to be cleared by HR:
- People who are coming in to eat with their child in the cafeteria
- Coming in to volunteer on a one-time or very limited basis (for example: helping out during a holiday or end of the year party)
What needs to happen: If you meet the criteria above as one of the volunteers who needs to be screened, please come to the main office and pick up a Volunteer or Mentor Application Form. The form can be found in the metal bin (labeled Volunteer Application Forms) located on top of the desk in the main office. Once you have completely filled out the form, please place it in the completed forms bin right outside of Ms. Fanning’s (Administrative Assistant) office, located in the main office. We are asking that all volunteers who meet the screening criteria complete the volunteer form by COB on Friday, December 6th. Once we have all completed forms, the school will get the forms to HR for processing. There is then an additional form that needs to be filled out by the school to help bring the volunteer aboard. Normally, each volunteer who fills out a form then has to go to HR to go through their vetting process. Since we understand that we will have a lot of volunteers who need to go through this process, we are working with our HR department to organize a mobile unit to come out to Forestville one afternoon to help complete the process. In order to have the mobile unit come out, we have to have the volunteer forms filled out and sent in before they work with us to schedule an appointment for their mobile unit to come out to us.
What happens for volunteers who do not make it to the mobile unit screening process or start volunteering on a consistent basis later in the school year: Volunteers who miss the mobile unit or start volunteering at a later date will still need to come in to the school and fill out a Volunteer or Mentor Application Form. That form along with a form that the school fills out will then be sent over to HR. HR will then contact you about when they need you to come in to be processed. So, the volunteer will still need to fill out a form and be processed by HR before their volunteering can start but the clearing process will be completed on-site at the FCPS HR office.
Volunteers who are currently sponsoring a club, are room parents or volunteer on a regular basis, can continue to do so but need to go through this process.
I thank you in advance for your understanding, as we work together to make sure that each child is in a safe environment at all times throughout the day. If you have any questions about anything, feel free to reach out to me at school.
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