Volunteer opportunities are school specific. The following are possible ways schools can use volunteers: 

• The Board, superintendent, principal or designee may decline or terminate the services of a volunteer or mentor for any legal reason. 
• Building principals or designees are responsible for approval of the screened volunteers & mentors to be placed in their buildings. 
• Teachers may select and organize chaperones unless directed otherwise by the principal.

• Volunteers will provide support services but are not substitutes for district staff. 
• Screened Volunteers who are left alone with a student will have an employee contact person or supervisor to monitor activities with students.

• If a volunteer is disruptive or acts inappropriately around the students, the teacher or principal will refuse the volunteer's services and notify the superintendent or designee immediately.

1. District staff must direct persons wishing to serve as a screened volunteer to the Volunteer Background Check website. Supervisors of activities that may require overnight volunteers are encouraged to recruit and certify volunteers at the beginning of the school year because the process may take several weeks or months to complete.

2. Screened volunteers must consent to and complete a criminal background check as required in policy GBEBC prior to being left alone with a student and may be required to submit additional information at the superintendent or designee's discretion. All information collected regarding screened volunteers will be considered confidential to the extent allowed by law and will be used only to protect the students or minimize disruption to the educational environment.

3. Only screened volunteers may have access to student education records. However, such access is limited to instances where access is necessary for the volunteer to assist the district, and such access must be supervised by staff members. Screened volunteers who are granted access to student records must keep all information confidential.

4. The building principal or designee will provide appropriate training for all screened volunteers.

The district will conduct a criminal background check on all individuals volunteering in positions where they may be periodically left alone with students or have access to student records. Volunteers who chaperone students on overnight trips or are sponsors, advisors or coaches of district-sponsored activities must satisfactorily complete a criminal background check.

The district is not required to conduct a background check on volunteers who have had a background check conducted by another Missouri public school within the past year if the district receives a copy of the background check directly from the other district or obtains electronic access to the previous background check.

In addition to the volunteers who are required by law to receive a full background check, HMC-1 may require other volunteers to undergo a background check or the district may conduct a search of the MSHP's criminal history database and the FCSR or the CD's central registry of child abuse and neglect.

HMC-1 provides free Volunteer Background checks for all volunteers.  Background checks are only valid for the current school year and ends on June 30^th each year.