Dysart Unified School District No. 89

VOLUNTEER AT DYSART

Members of the community looking to make a difference in the lives of children and support educators are encouraged to apply to become a volunteer with the Dysart Unified School District. Volunteers are needed in all schools and you can volunteer as little or as much time as you'd like.

If you have a few extra hours a week and wish to contribute your talents/skills, life experiences and time to the life of a child, please complete the appropriate application and associated documents below. For more information, contact Dysart Volunteer Coordinator Pat Rumsey at 623.594.2618 or via e-mail at pat.rumsey@dysart.org.

Parents		Non-parents
Welcome Letter		Welcome Letter
Application		Application
Emergency Info Form		Emergency Info Form
Confidentiality Form		Confidentiality Form

As a volunteer, you may work with infants and toddlers at the Child Development Center, listen to and/or read to elementary students, help elementary students with math or computer skills, mentor middle school students who need extra interest from a caring adult, or work with high school students who need one-on-one help with English proficiency. You may also work as an office aide, library assistant, help the nurse, assist in the various sports programs or participate on field trips.

In keeping with the mission of the district, the major goal of the volunteer program is to assist schools in providing the best possible education for each student. The services of volunteers are utilized in schools to accomplish the following objectives:

Assist teachers and support personnel with non-instructional tasks
Provide teachers with more time to work with students
Enrich the curriculum and students' learning opportunities
Provide individual attention to those children needing additional assistance
Promote a school-home-community partnership for quality education

Volunteerism is encouraged and supported. Volunteers make valuable contributions to educational programs, staff support, and district administration and policy. The volunteer's role is an important one.

Who Can Volunteer?

Everyone who cares about children and education is a potential volunteer. Prior teaching experience is not necessasry. Anyone who has completed the necessary application, screening, interview and training can volunteer.

District Policies and Procedures

When a volunteer expresses an interest in working at school and wants to assit with the type of jobs for which help is needed, there are district guidelines that must be followed for safety and legal reasons before a volunteer begins to work.

Non-parent volunteers must fill out an application, emergency health questionnaire and confidentiality statement. They must then be fingerprinted and attend a volunteer orientation. A reference check will also be completed prior to the first day of volunteering.

Parent volunteers must fill out an application, emergency health questionnaire and confidentiality statement. They must attend a volunteer orientation prior to the first day of volunteering. Parents who wish to volunteer outside of their child's classroom (ie: sports programs, cafeteria duty, playground duty) must also be fingerprinted.

In addition, to ensure the safety of Dysart students and in accordance with state law, guidelines for fingerprinting and background checks have been developed, as follows. It is imperative to remember that supervision of volunteers is the responsibility of the certified staff member associated with the event/activity.

Fingerprinting will be required for all persons as noted in the preceeding paragraphs who supervise and/or assist students under the following conditions: volunteer coaches; persons assisting in areas where students may be vulnerable, such as in close proximity to dressing rooms, backstage areas, etc.; and persons who are allowed to work with students in an unsupervised setting. Fingerprints are done at the Dysart Education Center and the fee is incurred by the Dysart Unified School District.
Background checks will be completed for all non-parent volunteers who work under the direct supervision of certified staff.

All volunteers must sign in and out every time they volunteer (this includes recording hours) and wear their district-issued photo ID badge. Reasons for these requirements include: security and safety, emergencies, record for liability and insurance purposes, recognize volunteer contribution, and data support for grant writing, improvement plans, etc.

Orientation

The Dysart Unified School District will provide an orientation for volunteers. Items covered will be:

Program purpose
Volunteer's responsibility, commitment and duties
School's responsibility
Universal precautions and safe schools information
Volunteer service agreement

At the orientation, volunteers will receive the following:

Volunteer handbook
School/teacher assignment
School contact list and map
School calendar
School start and end times
Superintendent welcome letter
Conference check list
Sheet to record volunteer hours

The intent of this orientation is to familiarize the volunteer with the district/school procedures, have a question/answer period, and allow volunteers to become more comfortable with the process. Individual campuses will follow up with any necessary site-specific training.

Insurance Coverage

Volunteers are covered by district's liability insurance policy while they are on campus working under the direct supervision of the professional staff. However, volunteers must be registered at their school and a record of dates worked and volunteer hours must be maintained. The district does not carry health insurance for volunteers.

Click here to read about the experiences of Dysart volunteers!