Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) has a volunteer team striving to provide opportunities for our students to learn, to apply their learning and to reach the goals and dreams they have for themselves. In 2003-2004, over 44,000 volunteers and over 670,000 volunteer hours were given at CMS Schools. Volunteers serve in a wide array of tasks that support the goals and mission of CMS and the schools where they volunteer. Volunteers bring a wealth of energy, talents, skills and caring to our schools. Their time and efforts have made a significant contribution to our schools and students.

A priority for CMS’s volunteer program is to ensure our students’ safety in the school environment. Volunteer screening is part of this effort. Screening starts with all volunteers registering to volunteer online at http://volunteer.cms.k12.nc.us or by completing a paper profile with contact information, interests and availability, preferences in volunteering and signing a confidentiality statement. Additional screening is dependent on the assigned task, the degree of supervision of the volunteer and the nature of the volunteer’s contact with the students. The level of volunteer screening will increase as a volunteer’s contact with a student increases and the degree of staff supervision decreases.

There are several methods used for screening including: completion of the volunteer profile, interviews by appropriate CMS staff, reference checks, criminal and other background checks, orientations and trainings. The benchmark for criminal background checks is the assignment of a volunteer to a position where he/she would be alone/unsupervised with a student. Some examples of volunteer assignments that may be unsupervised would include mentors, overnight field trip chaperones, volunteer athletic coaches and more depending on the scope of the volunteer assignment given by the school. For unsupervised volunteer assignments, additional information is requested for the background check as well as permission to conduct the background screening. In addition, the volunteer is requested to provide three non-family references with a reference questionnaire to be completed and returned to the school. The school reviews the references for appropriateness.

For volunteer positions requiring background checks, the school requests the volunteer to complete the necessary profile information and submits it for the screening process. The CMS Volunteer Supervisor conducts the screening and reviews the findings to determine the level of approval. Volunteers with a criminal history that requires further information will be contacted directly by the Volunteer Supervisor (VS). Additional information may be requested. If the information is not provided the VS will determine the approved level of volunteering and notify the volunteer. Volunteers may be denied as a volunteer based on their criminal record and also if they choose not to provide the necessary additional information to clarify their criminal record. The school which submitted the volunteer profile for screening will be notified of the level of approval only. Information from the criminal history is kept secured and confidential within the VS office.

The Charlotte Mecklenburg Public Schools and Strategic Partnerships Office has developed an online Volunteer Management System to foster our volunteer program; providing online application and placement for volunteers, information for school coordinators, and systems to assist in our volunteer tracking and screening needs. This system is secure and password protected. Volunteers have the capability to enter their volunteer profile information and designate their preferences regarding their availability and interests in volunteering. Each school will have a volunteer sign-in computer located at their front office. Access to the Volunteer Management System is available at any internet enabled computer.