At our school to attend field trips and to help inside the classrooms you have to have a clean record, but to help with afterschool events such as festivals and the like a parent doesn't even have to have a background check on file with the school. Maybe you should check with your school on that. You may not want that person to handle taking money at your events but they sure could run a game or handle the food areas.
"Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away."
And that can be the challenge! We have a parent that is on the police force and he has asked so many times about parents and why (he even asked about my husband volunteering- he had 3 unpaid parking tickets we went to court over) the Admin stepped in and asked this dad to just stop it. Nothing like one parent to start unneeded rumors!
All this is handled through our school's business office so I know who can volunteer and that's it! Love it!
I would also encourage you to keep their records as private as possible. Rather than tell a committee chair, "So-and-so can't come to the school because...." I'd simply say, "This is a list of parents who would like to be involved but prefer to work from home." This gives chairs the chance to delegate projects like LUVMYKIDS mentioned without all of their dirty laundry aired in public.
Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for awhile and leave footprints on our hearts. And we are never, ever the same."
"The ultimate aim of karate lies not in victory or defeat but in the true perfection of one's character."
We have one mom who used to be a board member and was a region rep for the state PTA, so she was extremely active and an awesome volunteer. Then she got into some legal trouble, which doesn't keep her from volunteering at the school, but does keep her from doing anything that might involve her handling money or items of monetary value. So now she assembles our Student Directory every year, and works with our webmaster keeping our website up to date. She also serves on our Nominating Committee, which never met at the school anyway, although I realize that not all groups have one of these, and she assists with the yearbook.
The big thing is to encourage your committee chairs to delegate things to these parents that can be done from home. I know that there is a lot I do from home when chairing a committee that I would gladly hand over to another parent.
At the elementary my children attended our PTO had options for parents to help from home. We didn't have the same issues as yours, just parents whose jobs kept them from being able to be at the school. They cut out or assembled things for classrooms and our annual craft day activities, stapled flyers and notes for bookfairs, and made phone calls for prize donations for our carnival. Just think of all of things your PTO volunteers who ARE available to be in the school do from home now and offer those things to this group of parents.
Just think how good their kids will feel when they see mom or dad doing something at home that helps their school! Good for the parent's self esteem too. This could be a very positive thing for your school-good idea.
