Kearsley Families,
We know our families trust us each day to ensure the safety of their students. This is a responsibility we don’t take lightly. As part of our ongoing commitment to school safety, our district requires volunteers who work with our children to undergo a criminal history background check.
These background checks are conducted through the Michigan State Police iChat system and are designed to screen for any past behavior or criminal history that may pose a risk to children. The checks include criminal record checks, sex offender registry searches, and other relevant screenings. Please be assured that this process is conducted with complete confidentiality. The information obtained is used solely for the purpose of ensuring the safety and well-being of our students. While we encourage all parents and guardians to actively engage with our school community and volunteer their time to support school activities, it’s imperative that we not jeopardize the safety of our students.
Background checks MUST take place when volunteers are responsible for supervision of students and have regular contact with other students. Examples would be:
Volunteering in classroom
Supervising and participating in classroom parties
Chaperoning field trips
Volunteer coaching and mentoring
Situations where a background check is NOT necessary include:
Attending after-school events
Awards ceremonies where visitors are seated away from students
Activities when adults solely interact with their own child
To ensure that the volunteer background check process can be completed properly, all volunteers must complete their volunteer application at least four (4) business days prior to the activity occurring. Since the iChat system does not notify us if there has been a change to an individual’s criminal history, it’s necessary for us to run these checks frequently. They must be completed at the beginning of the school year and at the beginning of second semester for any ongoing activities that occur throughout the school year. Volunteer coaches must complete the form prior to each season they are involved in. For single-event activities like field trips and classroom events, they must be completed just prior to the event occurring.
The volunteer screening form is available here and also on the district website: https://www.kearsleyschools.org/page/volunteer
Thank you for your willingness to volunteer and support our schools. While we know this can create a minor inconvenience, ensuring the safety of our students remains our top priority. Let’s have a great school year!
Sincerely,
Paul Gaudard, Superintendent
Kearsley Community Schools