Volunteering for Springfield Township

The School District of Springfield Township values the unique contributions made by parents, guardians and community volunteers to the educational and extracurricular programs of the school district.  Accordingly, the Board encourages the use of parent/guardian and community volunteers, subject to certain requirements and procedures as set forth below.

Definition of a Volunteer

A volunteer is defined as any individual who performs a service for the school district without compensation, remuneration or other consideration and who otherwise meets the requirements of this policy.  A SDST student who would like to volunteer in SDST schools are not subject to these requirements.  A volunteer need not be a parent/guardian of a student enrolled in the school district.  A volunteer shall include, but not be limited to the following opportunities:

• Assisting with classroom or building special events/celebrations (excluding public events such as concert or parade)
• Chaperoning a single day field trip and/or overnight field trip/competition
• Volunteering with any of the district interscholastic athletic teams and musical performance groups
• Advising or assisting an extracurricular activity
• Providing supplemental assistance to a student
• Being a Mystery Reader
• Volunteering in a classroom

Holding the position of a volunteer is not a right, but a privilege conferred upon the volunteer by the Board, acting through the building principal of each school within the school district.  Please note that you must check in each time you volunteer and you will still be asked to provide your drivers license to be swiped through our Raptor system each time you enter a building.  All volunteers have specific requirements that need to be completed PRIOR to participating in any volunteer experience.

1. SDST Volunteer Registration and Disclosure Form - all volunteers shall be required to complete and sign.
2. Clearances - Under amendments to the state Child Protective Services law, all volunteers who come into contact with students must obtain specific clearances.  Prior to participating in any volunteer opportunity, each SDST volunteer shall be required to complete and submit the following three clearances:
   1. Act 34: PA State Criminal History Clearance (free for volunteers)
   2. Act 151: PA Child Abuse Clearance (free for volunteers) - It is suggested by the state that you submit for your clearance electronically as it will quicken the response time.
   3. Act 114: FBI Fingerprint Criminal Clearance  Your service code for volunteering = 1KG6ZJ.  If you have lived in PA for 10 consecutive years the FBI Fingerprints are waived.
3. TB Test - PA State Code and District policy requires all volunteers to have a TB test completed if you are volunteering more than 10 hours per week.  If you will not be volunteering more than 10 hours per week, you do not need to complete the TB Test per the Department of Health.
4. Volunteer ID Badge - All 3 clearances and the SDST Volunteer Registration and Disclosure Statement must be turned into the Human Resources Department.  Your photo will be taken and you will be issued a SDST Volunteer Photo ID Badge with an expiration date from the date your earliest clearance will expire.

Please email your registration form, TB test and clearances to Heidi Fallon (heidi_fallon@sdst.org).  

All paperwork must be received BEFORE the volunteer activity

**We can not guarantee you will be cleared if you turn in your paperwork the day of the volunteer activity**

All clearances are good for 5 years from the date the clearance was issued.  Please keep an eye on your clearances and submit new clearances when they expire.

If you have any questions, please contact Heidi Fallon at the District Administration office 215-233-6000 or through email at: heidi_fallon@sdst.org.