Volunteers and Visitors in Schools

IM 4.105

______________________________________________________________________
MNPS actively supports school volunteer programs and parental
involvement, and encourages principals to develop volunteer programs for
each school. All volunteers must be approved by the principal and
shall serve under the direct supervision of the professional personnel
of the school to which they are assigned or have offered their
services.
Community and Business Partner Volunteers
Community volunteers provide invaluable support for MNPS students and
teachers, with projects and programs including mentorships, guest
speakers, classroom assistants and campus beautification.

Date Published
December, 2009
Revision History
September 2009
June 2009
Review
Annually

Community volunteers must be registered with PENCIL Foundation, as well

as have the approval of the building principal. Exceptions to the
registration requirement must be approved by the building principal and are
only available for one-time volunteers, guest speakers, etc. Registration
can take place by completing the volunteer form at
www.pencilfoundation.org or through organization registration as a school
PENCIL Partner.
Community volunteers are asked to track their time using the MNPS
volunteer tracking system, www.schoolvolunteers.org. Community volunteers must
complete the PENCIL background check process upon request of the building principal.
This includes a record check of the Sexual Offender Registry and Abuse Registry in
Tennessee and out-of-state records as applicable. Individuals with a history of sexual
abuse of children, violent or sexually exploitive behavior, or any convictions for a crime
in which children were involved will not be permitted to volunteer with students, nor will
individuals be allowed to volunteer while charges are pending for any of the
aforementioned crimes.
Adjunct School Staff from Community Organizations
All community based organizations who wish to have staff providing services in MNPS
must register through Alignment Nashville, as well as have the approval of the principal.
These volunteer staff must complete the background check process required for MNPS
school staff.
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Volunteers and Visitors in Schools

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Parent and PTO volunteers

MNPS strongly encourages and supports the volunteer efforts of our parents in the
classroom and on our campuses. Any parent/PTO volunteer must sign in at the main
office of their childs school and must be accompanied by a teacher or school support
staff at all times.
Sheriffs Office Community Service
MNPS has a unique opportunity to work with the Davidson County Sheriffs office and
the Court system to utilize the services of first time, low-risk DUI offenders (or other first
time non-violent, low-risk offenders) who have been assigned to community service as a
part of their restitution to the community. These individuals may be utilized by MNPS in
a number of ways working with maintenance and ground crews, painting, custodial
duties, etc. This exceptional situation will enable MNPS to utilize resources previously
unavailable and allow a substantial savings to the district. The following restrictions will
be in place surrounding this program:
Only first time, low-level offenders will be utilized by MNPS for their community
service hours.
The offenders will be supervised at all times by sheriffs department personnel
and/or MNPS personnel.
The persons chosen to work with MNPS will not be allowed in any building
unsupervised or when students are present. They will not be given keys, access
codes or allowed in any area where student records are kept.
There will be no opportunities for direct contact with students.
MNPS will reserve the right to terminate any offender who does not adhere
strictly to the rules.
No offenders will be allowed to collect or handle money or receipts.
Volunteer Protocol
While MNPS welcomes the opportunity to partner with the larger community, our first
duty is the safety of our students and protection of the learning environment. Therefore,
volunteers will adhere strictly to the following procedures:
Upon entering any school building all visitors and volunteers shall report
immediately to the office of the principal. At support facilities visitors and
volunteers shall report to the receptionist or secretary.
All visitors and volunteers shall sign the visitors log in the front office and wear a
badge at all times identifying them as a visitor/volunteer.
Volunteers may assist professional personnel in the performance of their
teaching and administrative responsibilities. They may not teach but may
reinforce skills taught by the professional staff.
Volunteers and visitors should receive authorization from the teacher and/or
principal before giving food, drinks, candy or other rewards/incentives to
students.
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IM 4.105

Volunteers/Visitors may not have access to student records or the student

information system. There shall be no exceptions to this rule.
Guest speakers, performance groups, etc. will always be supervised by the
professional staff at the school and will not be left alone with students.

The principal or his/her designee has the authority to request that any person leave the
building or school grounds whose conduct disrupts the safe and orderly operations of
the school. No person may remain on school grounds or in a school building after being
requested to leave by the principal, designee, person charged with the responsibility for
the facility, school security officer or a law enforcement officer. Anyone who refuses is
trespassing and in violation of TCA 49-6-2008, which is a Class A misdemeanor,
prosecutable under the law. The principal may require that such a person request and
secure permission to be on school property in advance.
Insurance
Volunteers shall serve without compensation but shall be insured by MNPS against
loss or damage in the performance of their duties. This insurance is considered
excess, which means that it pays only after an individual volunteers primary medical
insurance has paid its maximum benefits, and has a cap of $25,000 for reasonable
medical expenses related to an accidental injury for up to two years if the medical care
was started within 26 weeks of the accident. Volunteers are not employees of
Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools and as such are not entitled to medical benefits
under the Metropolitan Governments Injured on Duty (IOD) program. Additionally,
community organizations wishing to volunteer in MNPS must carry a liability policy with
a minimum coverage of $1,000,000.
Zero Tolerance Offenses/Volunteers and Visitors
Parents, volunteers or others who visit school facilities shall not interfere, disrupt, or
obstruct the normal operations of the school. MNPS will not tolerate any violence or
threat of violence within the schools toward either students or school employees. TCA
20-14-101 (2) defines a credible threat of violence as a knowing and willful
statement or course of conduct which would cause a reasonable person to believe that
he or she is under threat of death or serious bodily injury, and which is intended to, and
which actually causes, a person to believe that he or she is under threat of death or
threat of bodily injury. The following procedures should be followed when an assault or
intimidating act occurs:
The employee should give immediate notice to the principal/designee of the
incident.
The principal/designee should immediately obtain the details of the incident and
report to School Safety and Security.
The principal should provide the employee with reasonable assistance required
to resolve the incident.
Principals must report any assaults to the Metropolitan Nashville Police
Department.

Volunteers and Visitors in Schools

IM 4.105

If an employee is assaulted by a parent, that parent should not be allowed to visit

the school unless the principal is notified in advance. Conditions for a visit must
be established with input from the employee and communicated to the parent.
Principals should make any necessary changes in classroom assignment of the
student whose parent perpetrated the assault.
Principal may recommend a transfer of a student if it is determined it is in the
best interest of all concerned.

References/Authority
TCA 49-6-7001
TCA 29-20-310
TCA 49-2-303
TCA 49-6-2008
TCA 20-14-101 (1) (2)
TCA 49-5-413
IM 4.100 School Support Organizations