Selecting and Assigning Community Volunteers.

Public schools ought to be welcoming places for people in our communities who want to volunteer their time to assist professional staff with curricular and co-curricular activities.

Sadly, the heightened concerns nationwide over the safety of children on school grounds now requires that educational leaders pay greater attention to the screening process, selection and use of appropriate volunteers.

Unfortunately, this means one of the steps involves the law.

In Pennsylvania, as in other states, the Child Protective Services Law covers the activities of community volunteers since they share the responsibility for children's welfare with school district employees. You should be familiar with this law as school administrators fall into the category of "mandated reporters" who are legally required to report alleged child abuse to county and state welfare agencies.

The law in our state created a toll-free hotline for reporting suspected cases of abuse.

State police agencies typically maintain a central repository of records, fingerprints and photos of individuals who have a criminal history. This database is used before anyone can be employed in a Pennsylvania school district. Background checks of this nature could be extended by school officials to community volunteers, also.

Helpful Guidelines 

Central-office administrators may want to develop new school board policies for for the health and safety of students where volunteers are concerned. Here are some suggestions for soliciting, selecting and using volunteers in schools.

* Use community resources.

Some convenient places to begin a search for community volunteers include school/community neighborhood associations, especially active parent-teacher organizations. Parents know their schools' needs best and usually show a greater desire to support school programs with their time and financial resources when they realize the success of a program may be tied directly to their level of involvement.

The Scranton School District considers strong school/community contacts with parents a priority. Parents are invited to initiate projects or activities and work cooperatively with teachers and students in areas of common interest.

To solicit volunteers for particular projects or activities, school administrators can use district newsletters, shopping center fliers, newspaper stories, local cable television, listings of community services and other media. Speakers bureaus at local universities and other organizations can supply people with diversified expertise for schools.

* Develop guidelines for selection and evaluation.

Central-office administrators will need to prioritize the skills volunteers will need for their activities. For example, in the Marple Newton School District in Newtown Square, Pa., the names of qualified volunteers for athletic activities must be approved by the school board.

Some questions to consider in the selection process include: Are the volunteers needed for curricular or co-curricular needs? Are volunteers needed for the long- or short-term or for one-time use? What age groups, genders, professionals or nonprofessionals are required?

A school district could compile a master list of volunteers from which teachers and administrators might select the most fitting individuals for the given activity.

* Determine a volunteer's suitability.

Not every adult who volunteers his or her services may be suitable for working with students. School districts may need a uniform policy in place to create open and continuous contact between volunteers and professional staff.

Health and safety concerns in the Scranton School District policy manual require all volunteers to have a tuberculosis test prior to working in the schools.

Briefing sessions are a necessity in the preparation of volunteers to spell out the duties and lines of authority for those volunteers who are making more than a one-time commitment to a school program. This provides an excellent opportunity for sizing up a volunteer's suitability.

Central-office evaluations of those districtwide programs that rely heavily on community participants can be completed midway through a program or at the conclusion of lengthier programs. If the program is funded by outside grants, this information may be expected as part of a final performance report.

When generating such assessments, be sure to consider the educational impact of the volunteers on the improvement of students' reading, writing and communication skills. Record volunteers' suggestions and narratives of their experiences in a program as these may be useful in administrators' requests for additional funding for next year.

* Publicize good deeds.

Each time a school district uses volunteers in its school programs, it provides an opportunity for positive publicity for the school district. Photos and film coverage of volunteers in action can be prearranged with local newspapers and TV stations. Recognition of volunteers' efforts can occur at a yearly districtwide appreciation ceremony involving administrators and school board members.

The Scranton City Schools consider good working relationships with media representatives "essential" to accomplish the objectives of a good school/community public relations program.

David Wren is a reading specialist and former summer school administrator in the Scranton School District.