Volunteering
Thank you for your willingness to volunteer!
When you become part of the CCS family, you agree to serve 20 (or more) volunteer hours per school year between the two parents.
Why should you volunteer?
There are a few reasons this service is necessary:
- It fosters the feeling of CCS community and a unity of believers.
- It gives opportunities for parents to interact with and get to know other parents.
- It helps keep school resource costs down, which helps keep tuition costs down.
What is a volunteer/chaperone?
At CCS, some volunteers/chaperones will require a background check. If a volunteer/chaperone will be involved in a school activity where he/she will be with students unsupervised by a staff member, then that volunteer/chaperone will require a background check. (See instructions below.)
School Volunteer Policy
CCS values the unique contribution made by parent and community volunteers to the educational programs of our schools. Accordingly, the Administration encourages the use of parent and community volunteers, subject to certain requirements and procedures as set forth below.
Volunteer Definition and Qualifications
A volunteer is defined as any individual who performs a service for the schools without compensation, remuneration, or other consideration and who otherwise meets the requirements of this policy. A volunteer must be at least 18 years of age and need not be a parent of a student enrolled in our schools.
For purposes of this policy, volunteers shall be classified in two categories:
An individual who comes to a school infrequently and works in the presence of a teacher/administrator when with students. A casual volunteer shall not have unsupervised contact with students and is not required to undergo the CCS background screening process.
Examples include: parents who assist the planning or conducting of classroom celebrations, homecoming/prom chaperones, and concession stand workers.
An individual who voluntarily provides services to our schools, without compensation, and who: 1) works under the general direction and supervision of a teacher or administrator employed by our schools, and 2) provides direct services to students or may, from time to time, have or may be reasonably expected to have unsupervised contact with students. A volunteer in this role is required to undergo the CCS background screening process.
Examples include: volunteer tutors, room parents, chaperones for field trips, school store and book fair volunteers, volunteers who assist on the coaching staff of an athletic team, and those helping with the drama department productions in supervisory roles.
Final determination of a volunteer’s status is the responsibility of the administrator with direct oversight for the activity in which the volunteer is participating and decisions shall be made on the basis of whether an individual is serving in a supervisory or non-supervisory role of students in the care of our schools.
Volunteer Status
Under no circumstances shall a volunteer be considered an employee or independent contractor of our schools. A volunteer shall not receive wages, salary, or other valuable consideration for the performance of his/her services. Holding the position of a volunteer is not a right, but a privilege conferred upon the volunteer by the administration, acting through the principals.
Scope of Activity
The role of volunteers is to assist, but not replace or assume the professional or paraprofessional responsibilities or authority of the school staff. Volunteers shall not provide regular instruction or educational training to students and under no circumstances shall volunteers be permitted to administer or enforce discipline upon students enrolled in our schools.
Screening Requirements
A program volunteer shall be required to complete and submit for approval a “Volunteer Application” authorizing the administration to conduct a criminal background screening on himself/herself and the same shall remain on file in the administrative offices of the School. In completing the “Volunteer Application,” volunteers shall affirm that they have read and are personally committed to the written “Philosophy of Education,” “Mission Statement,” “Vision Statement,” and “Core Values” of CCS. Volunteers will be required to renew their background screening every school year.
Additionally, program volunteers are required to complete an online video training designed to overview child protection procedures and best practices. Volunteers are only required to complete this training once.
CCS recognizes that, on occasion, family members may wish to attend a field trip with their student in a non-supervisory role. So long as such persons are acting as event participants and not chaperones, the principal may, in his/her discretion, allow for such occasions.
If a background check is required:
If you are going to volunteer by directly chaperoning or supervising students in some way, such as a field trip, it will be necessary for you to complete a couple of extra steps. Background checks are required each year a parent participates.
- Complete the Volunteer Application (once per school year).
- A background check will then be completed.
- You will need to view a safety video with brief test at the end of the video. (This step takes about two hours to complete and is not necessary each school year, only once.)
How long the background check takes depends on how quickly you move through the steps. It is best to please take these steps early in the year, so you can already be through the process before the volunteering activity takes place. Once you complete this process, you will be added to a master list in which all CCS teachers can see you have been approved for this type of volunteer service.
To get the process started, please contact the director of admissions; she will forward a more thorough explanation of what to expect in this process and the application. You can also reach her by calling the Administrative Offices at (513) 892-8500, ext. 141.