School Board of Highlands County

Effective October 2, 2017, all volunteer applicants will undergo a Level 2 background screening. Volunteer fees will be the responsibility of the applicant for applications submitted for field trip purposes only. The fingerprinting fee is collected at the time of fingerprinting in the amount of $41.25, payable by debit/credit to a third-party vendor. Volunteer fees for ongoing volunteer services will be borne by the District.

Approved volunteers will remain active for five (5) years from the date of approval. Upon expiration, a new volunteer application must be submitted for approval. It is the responsibility of the volunteer to maintain active status.

1. Volunteer classroom assignments must be preapproved by the school administrator prior to submission of the volunteer application. Human Resources will verify with the administrator prior to process the submitted application.

2. Complete the volunteer application, in the Community Page, in its entirety. Incomplete applications will not be processed and approval will be delayed.

   NOTE: Failure to disclose a criminal history may result in a denial of your application and you may be eligible for reapply in one year.

3. Submit the volunteer application for processing. A minimum of 21 business days is required. Applicants with a criminal history may require additional information and processing time; therefore, should plan accordingly.

4. Fingerprinting is conducted at an offsite location.

   NOTE VOLUNTEER COACHES: Volunteer coach applicants will be notified via email of additional processing requirements by Human Resources. Pending volunteer coaches cannot be on the field/court with students until all clearances have been received and the school administrator and/or athletic director has received such verification from Human Resources.

5. Applicants are responsible for verifying approval status at the appropriate school location before volunteering in any capacity. Approved applications will remain active for five (5) years. Active volunteer status may be revoked, at any time within the five (5) year validity period, at the discretion of the School Board of Highlands County.

6. Active volunteers are responsible to self-report within 48 hours, to the Human Resources manager, of any arrest. A telephone message can be left 24 hours a day at 863.471.5733. A written follow-up statement must be provided within five (5) business days of leaving the telephone message. Failure to self-report may result in inactive status.

F.S. 121.091(15), Volunteer Services, was amended authorizing employers to establish volunteer programs and criteria for such programs relating to Florida Retirement System (FRS) retirees. FRS retirees applying to volunteer shall review and abide by 121.091, F.S. regarding eligibility to volunteer within the first twelve (12) months of retirement from FRS. Failure to abide by the criteria outlined in 121.091, F.S. could result in violating the requirement concerning termination of employment as defined in 26 C.F.R. s. 1.409A-1(h)(1)(ii).

The following criteria must be adhered to:

• The volunteer may not accept any compensation for volunteer service. 

• The volunteer may not volunteer more than 20% of the hours previously worked for the FRS employer. This equates to an average, for most, of 7 hours per week. 

• The duties of the volunteer must differ from the primary duties the volunteer was originally assigned as an employee. 

• The volunteer's schedule and willingness to serve is controlled by the volunteer. 

The employer and the retiree are both required to maintain adequate records to document adherence to the criteria listed above.

All potential volunteers are held to the same standards as any School Board of Highlands County employee and will be screened under the following provisions:

• Foley Amendment, National Child Protection Act, and the correlating Florida legislation under

  section 943.0542, F.S. (1999)

• SB 1774/HB 0891, May 21, 2004, Identifying Sexual Predators/Offenders against the Florida

  Department of Law Enforcement (FLDE) database

NOTE: Individuals who are not eligible for employment by the School Board of Highlands County are not eligible to volunteer at any Highlands County school campus.