call to lift ban on parents w/ felony records from volunteering in classes
16:06, 10 November 2010
.. Posted in Volunteerism and Volunteer Management0 trackbacks
.. Link
Many public school districts prohibit felons from volunteering or being paid to work in a school, regardless of the nature of the offense or how long ago the conviction. Others employ a more individualized screening method, reviewing each volunteer applicant's situation individually and making decisions on a case-by-case basis.
In Grand Rapids, Michigan, a parent is trying to change the blanket ban policy in her school district -- she is the mother of four students, and she is not allowed to volunteer at the school or even to go unescorted inside the school or speak to her children's friends at school because of her of bad checks conviction 10 years ago.
Do blanket bans really keep children safe? Research and statistics say no; what is far more effective is screening for character and attitude, appropriate and thorough training and effective supervision. You can find more about on how to keep kids and other vulnerable populations safe in resources like Beyond Police Checks: The Definitive Volunteer & Employee Screening Guidebook by Linda Graff, available for purchase via Energize, Inc. or Amazon, or Preventing Child Sexual Abuse Within Youth-serving Organizations, a free publication of the USA National Center for Injury Prevention and Control of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Since low-income and minority residents are disproportionately affected by the criminal justice system, blanket policies also keep these populations out of volunteering ranks. It also means their children are denied what so many studies say keeps kids in school and helps improve student grades: parental involvement in the schools.
A school or other organization that is going to have a ban similar to the one in Grand Rapids should at least prepare an online resource or booklet for students' parents, grandparents and others who fail a criminal background check, that lists school-related service for which they remain eligible, activities they can undertake to support their child's academic goals, and places to find volunteering elsewhere.
My two cents.
Trackback
