Refer to policy I-260.  

All employees of the Knox County Schools and all volunteers must have a clear understanding of what is expected of a volunteer in the KCS.   

Depending on the type of volunteer activity proposed, volunteers may be required to submit to a background check and/or provide information about themselves. The Knox County Schools will not accept volunteers who have been convicted of a felony listed in Tennessee Code Annotated (TCA) § 40-35-501(i)(2) or convicted of an offense listed in TCA § 39-17-417.  Nor will volunteers be accepted if legal action is pending for any alleged activity under these statutes. 

In order to volunteer in the Knox County Schools, an individual must:

• Sign a confidentiality agreement to protect the rights of students and parents
• Sign in and out each time they visit a school
• Be punctual and prepared, and notify the appropriate school contact in the event of an absence or delay
• Appear clean, neat, and appropriately attired
• Wear an identification tag at all times while on school grounds
• Work with students in areas designated by school staff
• Only provide food or drink to a student if authorized by the student’s teacher or principal. 

VOLUNTEER CLEARANCE LEVELS  

Level 1 (Supervised): Task takes place under the supervision of an employee of the Knox County Schools and involves little or no student contact   

Level 2 (Supervised): Task takes place under the supervision of a certified employee in a classroom or other group setting  

Level 3 (Unsupervised - without driving students) - Task involves direct contact with students under limited supervision by school staff  

Level 4 (Supervised - with driving students) – Task involves unsupervised contact with students on or off campus 

PROVIDING TRANSPORTATION 

Volunteers will not transport students away from campus except as part of a properly approved field trip as provided for under Board of Education policy IFCB Off Campus Trips.

PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES 

Tasks requiring volunteers to use or to supervise students in the use of dangerous machinery or equipment are prohibited. 

School administration will complete a background check request form provided electronically by the Knox County Schools and submit this request to the public affairs office for execution.  School administration will receive written notification when volunteers have been cleared for or restricted from level 3 and 4 activities.

All background checks that return any arrest information will be reviewed by a committee minimally composed of the Director of Public Affairs, the Chief of Security (or designated representative), the supervisor of Business Partnerships and the Supervisor or Family and Community Engagement to determine if the findings are such that the volunteer should not be cleared for level 3 and 4 activities. 

The Director of Public Affairs shall maintain a data base of all completed background checks and shall be responsible for notifying volunteers of their status based upon the completed background check process.  

Once a volunteer completes a background check, that background check will be valid within the Knox County Schools for a period of six years. 

If a volunteer is affiliated with a business or community organization that has completed a background check on the individual in the last six years that is of equal or better quality than the KCS required check, this background check may be used rather than initiating a new one.  However, the organization must provide to the Knox County Schools a complete copy of the results returned from this check, and the school administration will forward this information to the public affairs office for documentation.