Our school does BCI checks and pays for volunteers who are regulars at the school. Last year they paid for all BCI checks and come end of the year field trip time parents were coming in and wanting the checks so they could go on the field trips--the school paid the expense but it was an outrageous amount--especially since most parents who wanted the test at filed trip time (May) would not be regular volunteers at the school for the next year--the checks are good for a year. I always have mine done at the end of aAugust and I paid for my husbands to be done a few months ago--yes he is one of those parents who can only do field trips--he comes in to do a few PTO activities but since I am there and he is not left alone with any kids he has never needed it before. I only had to pay $20 for the test for him.
I think its a LOUSY policy to ask parents to pay for the test!!!! But parents who do volunteer take the test without complaining (at least, I havent heard ANY complaints). At least, the results are good for 5 years.
It doenst decrease volunteerism at our school, but other schools in the district arent as affluent so it might be an issue there, I really dont know.
I dont know if its an arcahiac law that never got stricken from the books, or if its a new thing, on acount of lots of immigrant populations from 'at risk' TB areas....like......south of the border (accoridng to what I read on the net).
beignets...I just noticed you wrote in your post..."in addition, each vol has to provide a clean TB test check before volunteering, and this, at their own expense."
Does this impact the # of volunteers you have? I cannot imagine that this would fly with our volunteers. Them wanting the test is one thing, but expecting the volunteer to pay for it is a whole other issue.
Our district does not do background checks...yet! They do however require any regular volunteers to do an application which has to have references and be notarized. This is a district issue...
"When you stop learning you stop growing."
our DISTRICT, not the parent group, runs mandatory bckgrd checks on all volunteers before they can work at school, and this is done anew, each year for each volunteer.
in addition, each vol has to provide a clean TB test check before volunteering, and this, at their own expense.
