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Volunteer in our Schools

volunteersVolunteer in a Wilton School

In September 2018, we instituted a new procedure for volunteers working independently with students.  This procedure was put in place to improve and expand upon screening protocols for volunteers in our school buildings.  All school volunteers are classified into two groups: adults who spend time with students while in the presence of Wilton Public Schools staff and adults who spend time with students while not in the presence of Wilton Public Schools staff.  More specifics about these two groups are outlined below. 

Group One Volunteers:
  • assist in the classroom, library learning commons, cafeteria, or any other location
    in school buildings where other Wilton Public Schools staff members are present; or
  • attend a school function during the day or outside of school hours when other
    Wilton Public Schools staff members are present; or
  • serve as monitors for the WHS “Cave”
  • accompany students on a field trip or school-related event in grades 9-12.

Group Two Volunteers:

  • assist in the classroom, library learning commons, cafeteria, or any other location in school buildings where other Wilton Public Schools staff members are NOT present at some point during the volunteer’s visit; or
  • accompany students on a field trip during or outside of the school day (PreK-8); or
  • accompany students on an overnight field trip (PreK-12); or
  • serve as student interns.
All group one volunteers must have their licenses scanned at the front booth of the school in which they will be volunteering.  Group one volunteers who are attending Wilton High School events as chaperones (grades 9-12) for trips that will not be overnight should have their licenses scanned at the front booth either on the day of the event, or if the event falls on a weekend or after school, within thirty days prior to the event.

 

To submit to a background check, you should enter the Secure Volunteer portal through this page using the APPLY NOW BUTTON.  PLEASE DO NOT SIGN UP FOR BIB SCREENING UNTIL YOU HAVE BEEN CONFIRMED AS A GROUP TWO VOLUNTEER by your child’s school.

 

APPLY NOW!

Here is how that approval works:

  1. Sign up for a volunteer opportunity that involves you working with students when other staff members are not present (i.e. chaperoning a field trip, assisting in the school building without other staff members present).
  2. Confirm with your child’s teacher or the person overseeing the event that you are assigned to the event and that you should proceed to the BIB background check.  If you are simply volunteering in the classroom or library learning commons with other staff present, you do not need to be screened through BIB.
  3.  If you have been screened by BIB previously, assess whether your screening needs to be updated.  (Screenings completed in 2019 and 2020 need to be updated; screenings completed in 2021 or later are still valid.)
  4. If you have never been screened or require an updated screening, proceed to the BIB portal. 
  5. If you choose to pay the $25.00 fee, please do so by submitting a check to made out to Treasurer, Town of Wilton. This check should include “BIB” in the subject line and can be sent to the main office of the school in which you are volunteering.  Paying the fee yourself will help offset the cost of BIB volunteer screenings for our school district. If you are unable to pay the fee, it will be paid by the school district. 
  6. Once your background check is complete and you have been approved, your name will be added to the “approved group two volunteers” list for your child’s school.  Please note that if you do not sign up to work as a group two volunteer, then you do not need to complete any additional screenings beyond the standard driver’s license screening required for every visitor at the main entrance of each school. 

As the school year begins and you plan your involvement in your child’s classroom, it is important to remember our volunteer protocols.  If you commit to a responsibility that falls under the group two volunteer category (i.e. chaperoning, volunteering to work with students without other staff members present), you must submit to a background check or use your background check approval if it has not been more than three years since your last BIB screening. 

We believe these procedures, in addition to the security measures currently in place, help keep our schools safe for your children.  Thank you in advance for your support. 

If you have questions regarding our volunteer protocols, do not hesitate to contact me at colemanm@wiltonps.org or (203)762-3381.