All visitors, volunteers, parents, guests, or anyone else coming on campus must use the buzz in system to get access to the school campus. You will need to provide a valid government issued identification to be screened through our security system which entails scanning your ID and taking your photo. This is for the safety of the children as well as for your safety. If we were to have an emergency, we know for whom to search.
While UPCS encourages parents/guardians and interested members of the community to visit and view the educational program, UPCS also endeavors to create a safe environment for students and staff. Additionally, parents volunteering in the classroom and school events can be extremely helpful to our teachers and valuable to our students. We thank all parents for their willingness to volunteer in this manner. UPCS will be implementing new state adopted standards for fingerprinting, TB clearance, and mandated reporter training for all regular volunteers.
Definitions
Volunteer: A school volunteer is defined as an adult individual (18 years or older) serving under the direction of a paid UPCS employee. School volunteers are not employees and are not provided compensation in exchange for volunteer services.
Regular Volunteer: A regular volunteer is over 18 years of age and interacts with students outside of the immediate supervision and control of a parent/guardian or school employee.
Contact: Contact with students includes and is not limited to physical, verbal, or virtual (online) contact.
Frequent and Prolonged Contact (for TB Clearance): The School defines frequent and prolonged contact with students as 16 hours in a month (approx. 4 hours a week) and/or 32 hours in a year
Who is required to be Fingerprinted?:
Regular volunteers must successfully clear a criminal background check conducted by the California Department of Justice (“DOJ”) and cross-checked with the Federal Bureau of Investigations (“FBI”) prior to beginning volunteer service if they are a regular volunteer. If cleared, the volunteer must agree to allow UPCS to receive subsequent arrest notifications during the length of their volunteer service.
Volunteers are responsible for paying for the fingerprint and background check fees unless they are unable to, due to financial hardship. In such circumstances, UPCS may make payment arrangements. The fingerprints are sent to the Department of Justice to obtain a criminal record summary.
Reference Policy 103 on our website for more details regarding Fingerprint clearance.
Who is required to get a TB clearance?:
All volunteers who will have frequent and prolonged contact with students must show proof of tuberculosis (“TB”) clearance. Such clearance may be submitted to the School either by utilizing the Risk Assessment Questionnaire or by providing a negative TB certification issued by a qualified healthcare professional. UPCS may request proof of TB at the time of volunteer onboarding if the UPCS volunteer is anticipated to have frequent and prolonged contact with students at some point in the volunteer service relationship.
Who is required to complete Mandated Reporter Training?:
Regular volunteers must comply with mandated reporting rules and laws. Accordingly, any regular volunteer who has knowledge of, or observes, a child in their volunteer capacity whom the volunteer knows or reasonably suspects has been the victim of child abuse, must report the known or suspected instance of child abuse to a child protective agency immediately, or as soon as practically possible, by telephone and to prepare and send a written report thereof within thirty-six (36) hours of receiving the information concerning the incident.
UPCS will provide volunteers annual training on the mandated reporting requirements. Training may be provided by the State Department of Social Services online mandated reporter training module or an equivalent module . Proof of completion must be submitted to the Executive Director or designee.
To minimize any disruption to the instructional plans and the educational process, classroom visits must be arranged twenty-four hours in advance by calling the school or teacher to establish a time for the visit. Please see our Board Policy #102 for more information and details. Thank you!
Student Bathroom Access Policy for Adults Volunteering on Campus
During the School Day: For the safety and privacy of our students, bathrooms are reserved for student use only. Parents and other adults are not permitted in student bathrooms during school hours.
After-School Events: During after-school events, bathrooms are open and available for use by both students and adults.
We understand the challenges this new state mandate presents as parents/families engage in their child's educational experience. Our goal is to establish a smooth process for assisting parents in getting the proper clearance as quickly as possible. We expect some speedbumps as this is a new routine and we appreciate your grace as we work through it.
For more information please contact the school office at: 805-482-4608