Volunteering for our Schools

• Fill out District Volunteer Application Form online.
• Provide a valid state-issued Driver’s License/ID Card and or Consular Identification Card (CID) issued by the country of origin.
• Submit the completed application online.
• An email with all decisions will be sent to the school principal or designee once approved.
• Provide a Tuberculosis Clearance Card.
• You may get a TB clearance from your private physician or call the San Bernardino County Department of Public Health at (800) 722-4777. 

All volunteer work is done under the direction of an assigned teacher, site volunteer coordinator, or principal/vice principal. Volunteers must comply with the sign-in procedures at the school site. Volunteers do not receive compensation or employee benefits, except worker’s compensation as provided for in Labor Code Section 3364.5.

1)    Visitor- A visitor is defined as any person seeking to enter the school building or grounds who is not an employee of the District, a member of the governing Board of Education, or a student currently enrolled.

a)    (Board Policy) 1250: The Superintendent or designee shall post at every entrance to each school and school grounds a notice setting forth visitor registration requirements, hours during which registration is required, the registration location, the route to take to that location, and the penalties for violation of registration requirements. (Penal Code 627.6)

b)    Unless otherwise directed by the principal or designee, a staff member shall accompany visitors while they are on school grounds.

c)    Outsider Registration - Any person other than those listed in (a) & (b) in this section are considered an outsider and required to register upon entering school premises during school hours: (Penal Code 627.1, 627.2; Evidence Code 1070)

2)    Volunteer- A volunteer is defined as any person contributing time, energy, or talent that benefits the school willingly, without profiting monetarily.

The following guidelines are in place for those wishing to volunteer on San Bernardino City Unified School District campuses, observe classrooms, and/or chaperone student field trips.

In some cases, volunteers have access to sensitive student information. All student information should be treated confidentially. Sharing student information with others is not allowed and may be a violation of the law. Although the student is free to share confidential information with you, there are certain things that you are required by law to tell the school administrator. Any personal information learned from a student should be held in the strictest confidence except:

1. If a student confides that they are the victim of sexual, emotional, or physical abuse or neglect.
2. If a student confides that they are involved in any illegal activity.
3. If a student confides that they are considering homicide or suicide or want to hurt themselves or others.

In these cases, you are required by law to immediately notify the school administrator. Note on your calendar when this information was reported and to whom it was given. Remember, this information is extremely personal and capable of damaging lives, so do not share it with anyone except the appropriate authorities. Any needs the students may communicate to the volunteer should be referred to the appropriate District staff person and the school administrator will know who that is.

• Our schools have detailed discipline plans and the responsibility for discipline rests with the school staff. Volunteers may not discipline students. Please make the school staff aware of any discipline problems that might arise.
• Only those employed by SBCUSD may be on the playground with students. Parents/guardians assisting teachers for special activities (ex. Field Day) must be cleared by the office staff and wear a visible visitor’s badge.
• Volunteers may use staff restrooms. Volunteers may not use student restrooms.
• School phones are for school business. The use of your personal cell phone is prohibited in classrooms and while volunteering. You may not take pictures or video on campus without prior site administration permission.
• Please be prompt and consistent! Let the school know when you have to cancel.  

Visitors are required to follow all District safety procedures. Visitors should report dangerous situations of any kind immediately to a staff member or by emailing Safety@sbcusd.k12.ca.us. Please follow the directions of staff supervisors in the event of an emergency drill or actual emergency. Do not leave the campus without notifying your primary point of contact, unless you are in danger.

Volunteers are an important part of the educational team. The suggestions and opinions of volunteers are always welcome. It is the professional staff, however, that is held responsible by law for the decisions that are made regarding the instruction of students and the management of the school. For this reason, volunteers always work under the direct supervision of teachers and administrators.

Returning volunteers who have tested negative for tuberculosis must have filed with the school a certificate showing that within the last four years, the person has been examined and has been found to be free of communicable tuberculosis in accordance with Education Code 49406. (Education Code 45106, 45347, 45349, 49406 & Health and Safety Code 121545)

All returning volunteers shall complete a new application each school year and will need to renew a criminal history check with District Police. Under certain conditions, applicants may be asked by District Police to pay $20 to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department for an expanded criminal history check.

SBCUSD uses an electronic visitor management system from Raptor Technologies. Raptor screens and tracks visitors by using publicly available databases to screen visitors against registered sex offender databases. Raptor also scans government-issued identification cards to print badges that include the entrant’s photo, which must be worn and visible at all times while volunteering on or off campus.