Starting in January, thousands of Pinellas County school volunteers will face more stringent background checks than they’ve encountered in the past.
They could wind up paying for the service.
As part of its effort to ensure that volunteers have no criminal history, the school district will begin requiring anyone who has direct unsupervised contact with students to undergo what’s called a Level 2 screening. That review includes fingerprinting attached to a statewide database that provides daily updates on any new activities that might disqualify them from working in the schools.
The approach is similar to what Pasco County schools began more than a year ago.
“Safety is going to be a priority,” Deputy Superintendent Stephanie Woodford said.
About half of the district’s approximately 18,000 volunteers already go through a Level 2 review, which costs on average about $85 every five years. The other half have not, though.
Asking them to pay the fee to donate time to the schools — something district leaders acknowledge is critical to well running campuses — could generate a backlash.
“One of the biggest concerns truly has been cost,” Mistine Dawe, district director of strategic partnerships, told the school board while presenting the plan during a Dec. 16 workshop. “Our district is committed to not allowing that to be a barrier.”
Dawe said the Pinellas Education Foundation has set aside money to help pay for fingerprinting. Schools that receive Title I federal funds for serving low-income students also may use that grant to cover the costs, she said, and other organizations also have signaled support for the initiative.
School board members applauded the concept. But they also worried about the potential effect.
“My first thought is, it’s hard enough to get volunteers,” board member Laura Hine said.
She noted how difficult it has proven to get Level 2 volunteers in the past, even with the PTA helping pay for the fingerprinting. But at least the district allowed people to come and offer services, often without students being around, under a less stringent Level 1 category.
Hine mentioned how eight volunteers recently came to help decorate the St. Petersburg High cafeteria for the holidays. If required to pay for the Level 2 screening, some might not turn up, she suggested.
“We’ve got to make this as easy as possible,” Hine said.
Board vice chairperson Dawn Peters raised the point that many first responders, such as police officers, are not in the state database despite having thoroughly vetted backgrounds. Asked to go through another one, Peters said, “They might say they don’t have the time for it.”
She encouraged the administration to find solutions to such scenarios as it moves forward.
Chairperson Caprice Edmond, meanwhile, had questions about whether the changes would impact parents who are visiting schools.
Woodford said the administration has looked to other districts, including Pasco and Hillsborough, for guidance on such matters. Pasco carefully defined the differences between volunteers and visitors a month after changing its rules, amid complaints from booster clubs and other organizations that were losing participants.
“We’re going to ask for some principals to help define that,” Woodford said.
Alicia McKee, president of the Pinellas Council of PTAs, said she hoped the district will find workable answers to the remaining concerns as it rolls out the system. All volunteers are supposed to have Level 2 checks on file by July.
“This might be disenfranchising families,” McKee said. “I hope each school comes up with ways to make sure those parents can still be engaged.”
Dawe said all volunteers should receive communication next week letting them know about the changes and charges.