Volunteering
School Volunteer Information and Requirements
Cupertino Union School District
The Cupertino Union School District (CUSD) Board of Education recognizes and appreciates that volunteer assistance in schools can significantly enrich the educational program, increase supervision of students, contribute to school safety, and strengthen a school’s relationship with the community.
The Board encourages parents/guardians and other members of the community to share their time, knowledge and abilities with students. The Board, in compliance with California Education Code Section 35021 and Board Policy 1240, requires school volunteers to be screened and authorized to volunteer. Volunteers who may be in contact with students outside the presence of certificated staff, however briefly, must arrange for a California Department of Justice (DOJ) fingerprint submission prior to volunteering. Also, volunteers who will have frequent or prolonged contact with students must also be TB tested and cleared. These requirements are in place given an abundance of caution for student safety and well-being.
- Steps Toward Fulfilling Requirements to Volunteer At a School
- Information on the CA Department of Justice (DOJ) Live Scan Criminal Background Check Process and Privacy Issues
Steps Toward Fulfilling Requirements to Volunteer At a School
STEP 1. Determine which volunteers are required to be fingerprinted and undergo a criminal background check by the DOJ. What are the criteria?
Some levels of volunteerism present a “gray area.” If in doubt, please contact your school principal who has the discretion to determine which volunteers must be fingerprinted for a DOJ background check, based on the type of volunteerism. Generally, volunteers who must submit to a criminal background check are:
|
Fingerprinting/DOJ Criminal Background Check and TB Clearance are REQUIRED for These Volunteers* |
Fingerprinting/DOJ Criminal Background Check and TB Clearance are NOT REQUIRED |
|---|---|
| Volunteer assignment involving contact with students at school or on field trips where there is a possibility a volunteer could be outside the presence of a certificated staff member (teacher or administrator) even briefly. | Attending a musical, drama production, athletic, academic or art event as a member of the audience. |
| Presenting at a "Career Exploration Day" once during the school year | |
| Driving and/or chaperoning field trips, including after-school sports. (Note: a valid CA Driver License and insurance coverage is also required.) | Attending school events at which parents are expected to supervise their own children (e.g., Family Math Night or Ice Cream Social). |
| Coaching or assisting with special events, including dances, sports competitions, drama and musical productions. | Visiting the office for the purpose of conducting business there or observing in the classroom after singing in at the office. |
| Providing lunch0time volunteer assistance or eating lunch on campus with children when not volunteering. | Attending a parent-staff conference. |
*Note: The above chart is a guide and is not necessarily an exhaustive list. The school principal will answer questions concerning other types of volunteer assignments.
STEP 2. Submit a CUSD “Volunteer Information—Agreement—Authorization Form” to your school office. An updated form is required each school year. This form is available on the District's website under the “Volunteering” icon.
STEP 3. Submit a DOJ Request for Live Scan Service form to a fingerprint rolling vendor selected by the volunteer applicant. Such vendors include the Santa Clara County Sheriff Department, UPS stores, and other local franchises. This form is available on the District’s website under the "Volunteering" icon.
Important Notes:
- Bring an official CA Driver License or other government-issued identification document, and cash, check, or credit card to pay the amount charged for fingerprinting at the time of service as required by the Live Scan operator.
- Write the name of your school(s) on the line near the form’s bottom marked “Your Number” or “OCA Number.”
- Only a DOJ criminal background check is required, NOT an FBI background clearance.
See more information about the DOJ Live Scan process and privacy issues below. the “Volunteering" icon.
The Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Department, various UPS stores, and numerous local vendors roll and submit volunteers’ fingerprints for a fee. For more information about the fingerprinting service offered by the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Department, please visit www.sccgov.org/sites/sheriff/Pages/livescan.aspx.
The District contracts with The UPS Store #4636, a fingerprint vendor who invoices CUSD for application processing and rolling costs and charges volunteers only $32 (the DOJ’s reporting fee). Volunteers may receive services at the vendor’s office, located at:
The UPS Store #4636
2784 Homestead Road
Santa Clara, CA 95051
(408) 247-4010 email: store4636@gmail.com
If you have been fingerprinted by or for CUSD in the past, please notify your school site office staff. You will not need to be fingerprinted again.
Step 4. Human Resources notifies school administration when a volunteer’s criminal background check requirements have been met.
Step 5. Volunteer applicant may contact school staff to inquire whether all requirements to volunteer have been met.
TB Screening of Volunteers:
Upon initial volunteer assignment, a volunteer shall have on file with the school a certificate showing that s/he has submitted to a tuberculosis risk assessment and, if tuberculosis risk factors were identified, was examined and found to be free of infectious tuberculosis (Ed Code 49406). Each volunteer needs to have a risk assessment every four (4) years to determine whether a TB test is required.
What is the definition of “frequent or prolonged contact with students?”
Please see the list of volunteers named above in the chart entitled “Fingerprinting/DOJ Criminal Background Check and TB Clearance are REQUIRED for These Volunteers.”
California Education Code 49406 states that the superintendent or designee (principal) may exempt from tuberculosis testing requirements those volunteers who serve less than a school year and whose functions do not require frequent or prolonged contact with students. Free tuberculosis testing and verification notices are available at all public and some private medical clinics.
Please check with your school principal should you have a question about your need to be fingerprinted and/or TB tested.
Information on the CA Department of Justice (DOJ) Live Scan Criminal Background Check Process and Privacy Issues
The Cupertino Union School District and District/school site administrators share community-wide concerns about the privacy and security of information volunteer applicants provide on their Department of Justice (DOJ) Request for Live Scan Service form. This form is used by both potential CUSD volunteers and employee applicants, and HR works carefully to ensure that personal information given is safeguarded and kept confidential. The following information outlines how the completed volunteer DOJ Live Scan application is used and handled step-by-step.
- Volunteer applicant completes the “Applicant Section” of the DOJ Live Scan form.
- Required information includes: The CA Driver License or DMV Identification Card or U.S. Passport number and birth date. Why? These identifiers assist the DOJ and the District’s Custodian of Records (COR) to verify an individual’s identity. In a school district of nearly 38,000 parents, same names and handwritten applications’ legibility issues are often clarified by the ability to cross-check more than one personal identifier.
- Volunteer applicant may opt out of listing a Social Security Administration number; however, by opting out, a delay in reporting DOJ results to CUSD may occur.
- Volunteer applicant selects a Live Scan vendor and makes arrangements for fingerprint rolling.
- Volunteer applicant brings the Request for Live Scan Service form and an official CA Driver License or other government-issued identification document, and cash, check, or credit card to pay the amount charged for fingerprinting at the time of service as required by the Live Scan vendor. Remember to ask the vendor to make a copy of the competed form AFTER the fingerprints are rolled. Please note that CUSD does not pay any fees for fingerprinting services performed for this purpose.
- The District’s COR receives fingerprints directly from the DOJ electronically.
- Only the District’s COR has access to submitted volunteer DOJ reports.
- The DOJ website is only accessible by the COR who has been approved by the DOJ to receive confidential reporting information via a secure DOJ website. The District’s COR strictly upholds DOJ confidentiality mandates and does not share applicants’ information with others.
- The DOJ removes reporting information from its secure website within 30 days of fingerprint submission/reporting.
- The District-maintained database of volunteer applicant DOJ results includes only the following information:
- Volunteer applicant’s name, school(s), position (e.g. volunteer), the date fingerprints were transmitted to the DOJ, and the date CUSD received the results from DOJ.
- No additional applicant information is retained in the database of fingerprinted volunteers.
- Fingerprint results remain effective for the entire time a volunteer is active in CUSD (transitional kindergarten through eighth grade).
- The District’s COR notifies the school site regarding an applicant’s “readiness” to begin volunteering soon after HR received the DOJ results.
- Occasionally, DOJ results are delayed for various reasons beyond CUSD’s control.
- Infrequently, the DOJ rejects submitted fingerprints as being unsuitable to process. In this case, volunteer applicants will be re-fingerprinted at no charge. The District’s COR will notify potential volunteers whose prints need to be re-rolled.
- Volunteers check with school site of his/her “readiness” to volunteer.
Thank you again for your willingness and efforts to serve as a school volunteer at CUSD!
Fingerprinting FAQs
Cupertino Union School District
Fingerprinting Requirement of School Volunteers
Questions & Answers
Q: Why are school volunteers required to be fingerprinted and undergo a criminal background check?
A: The CUSD Board of Education and administration have been reviewing school safety measures and Board Policies with legal counsel this past year. Given the District’s duty and desire to protect students, and the prevalence of crimes against children in society, District leadership decided to require California Department of Justice (DOJ) criminal background checks of potential school volunteers who may be in contact with students outside the direct supervision of teachers or site administrators.
Q: What are some examples of volunteer activities at school requiring (or not requiring) fingerprinting?
A:
|
Fingerprinting/DOJ Criminal Background Check and TB Clearance are REQUIRED for These Volunteers* |
Fingerprinting/DOJ Criminal Background Check and TB Clearance are NOT REQUIRED |
|---|---|
| Volunteer assignment involving contact with students at school or on field trips where there is a possibility a volunteer could be outside the presence of a certificated staff member (teacher or administrator) even briefly. | Attending a musical, drama production, athletic, academic or art event as a member of the audience. |
| Presenting at a "Career Exploration Day" once during the school year | |
| Driving and/or chaperoning field trips, including after-school sports. (Note: a valid CA Driver License and insurance coverage is also required.) | Attending school events at which parents are expected to supervise their own children (e.g., Family Math Night or Ice Cream Social). |
| Coaching or assisting with special events, including dances, sports competitions, drama and musical productions. | Visiting the office for the purpose of conducting business there or observing in the classroom after singing in at the office. |
| Providing lunch0time volunteer assistance or eating lunch on campus with children when not volunteering. | Attending a parent-staff conference. |
*Note: The above chart is a guide and is not necessarily an exhaustive list. The school principal will answer questions concerning other types of volunteer assignments.
Q: Do other school district complete background checks of volunteers?
A: Yes, many do. Several community organizations that work with children also require volunteers to be fingerprinted, including the YMCA, Girl Scouts, Little League, other youth sports and performing arts groups, as well as some churches and synagogues.
Q: If a volunteer has been fingerprinted and “cleared” by another community organization, would s/he need to be fingerprinted again for Cupertino Union School District?
A: Yes. The DOJ prohibits organizations from sharing background information and individuals’ records.
Q: How does the District process criminal background checks of potential volunteers, and what does the District’s Custodian of Records (COR) look for?
A: Potential volunteers’ fingerprints are sent via a dedicated secure electronic transmission line to the CA Department of Justice (DOJ). The DOJ sends a report to the District’s authorized COR. The report either verifies no criminal record or contains a record of convictions.
The COR reviews the DOJ report and looks for convictions involving crimes against children and/or the community, such as assault, molestation, child abuse, reckless driving and DUIs (which would disqualify a volunteer from driving students on field trips or to sports competitions).
Given a criminal record of a potential volunteer, the COR would contact the school principal and simply report: “[volunteer’s name] is not ready to volunteer, or s/he is ready to volunteer, but not ready to drive students.” No other information is shared.
Q: What if a potential volunteer’s criminal record shows a conviction for a “youthful indiscretion” in the distant past?
A: If the criminal activity was an isolated incident, petty, non-violent and in the distant past, then the individual will probably be considered “ready for volunteer service.”
Q: Why do I have to provide extensive personal information on my DOJ Live Scan Service Request Form? It feels like an intrusion on my privacy.
A: Confirmation of a potential volunteer’s identity is important. Potential volunteers are asked to produce an official identification document (e.g., a CA Driver License, a Department of Motor Vehicles identification card, a Social Security Administration card, a passport or visa). If the passport has been issued by a country other than the U.S., the DOJ requires a secondary piece of identification (e.g., a pay stub or a mortgage, rent, or utility payment document with the volunteer’s name and address on it).
Q: Must I provide my Social Security number?
A: It is recommended; however, it is not a requirement, if another personal identification document is presented. Transmitting fingerprints with a live scan application form that does not contain the Social Security number may result in delayed processing by the DOJ.
Q: Why am I being asked to pay fingerprinting/background check charges?
A: The District is fortunate to have approximately 5,000 volunteers assisting students and staff at our 25 schools. The minimum cost of fingerprint processing is $47 for one volunteer, or approximately $235,000 for all 5,000. The District does not have adequate funding resources to pay this large sum.
The CA Department of Justice charges $32 for processing each set of fingerprints for a criminal background check. A low-cost vendor is under contract with CUSD to roll fingerprints and transmit them to the DOJ. Our contractor charges $15 per person, per “rolling and transmission,” which is paid to the vendor by the District. If potential volunteers choose to be fingerprinted by our contractor, they would pay only $32 (the DOJ fee).
If a volunteer chooses a different vendor for fingerprint services, a volunteer can expect to pay the $32 DOJ fee plus a rolling and transmittal fee between $17 and $81.
Q: What if I desire to volunteer at my child’s school, but cannot pay the DOJ processing fee?
A: Let your school principal know. S/he will inform a District Office Human Resources Department official that you are to be fingerprinted at no charge by appointment at the District Office.
Q: How long does a fingerprint rolling appointment take?
A: Typically, the rolling of all ten fingers requires about three-to-five minutes, if an individual arrives at the appointment with his/her “Request for Live Scan Service” form completed, and ID and payment ready.
Q: How long will it take for my fingerprint submission to be processed?
A: The DOJ’s processing of fingerprints and reporting can take a few hours up to 30+ days. Many factors are involved. The District has no control over when the DOJ reports are delivered to the COR. The COR will inform the school principal, or his/her designee, when a volunteer is ready to begin service at the school. The school will, in turn, notify the volunteer.
Q: How often does a CUSD school volunteer need to be fingerprinted?
A: Only once. If you have been fingerprinted as an employee, substitute or volunteer in Cupertino Union School District in the past, you need not be fingerprinted again for CUSD. Please inform the school office staff at the time you submit your volunteer application form.
Q: What identification do I need for fingerprinting?
A: DOJ requires a California Driver License, DMV Identification Card, or Out-of-State Driver License for fingerprinting purposes. In the absence any of the above mentioned forms of identification, you will need to provide a photo-identification PLUS one of the following:
- Utility bill with name and address
- Voter registration card
- Vehicle registration
- Paycheck stub with name and address
- Public assistance card
- Spouse/parent affidavit
- Cancelled check or bank statement
- Mortgage/lease document
Select school from table to complete the Volunteer Information Agreement
Request for Live Scan Service (finger printing)
TB Risk Assessment