Security Levels

Security Information Volunteer Screening (Security Background Requirements)

There are two levels of screening for school volunteers that are defined and controlled by the District’s Special Investigative Unit (SIU).

Level 1 screening qualifies the individual for school-based volunteer activities and daytime field trips under the supervision of a staff member.
Level 1 – Security background check performed as a part of the online volunteer application. The process takes from 3-5 workdays. Approval is monitored at the STAR computer. All new or returning volunteers must complete the application annually at: www.getinvolvedineducation.com
Level 2 screening qualifies the individual for unsupervised activities with students and is required for overnight chaperones, volunteer coaches, youth mentors and volunteers having access or control of school funds.
Level 2- (Level 1 + FBI fingerprinting) Volunteer completes the online application as a Level 1 volunteer. After approval, the advancement to a Level 2 volunteer requires prior approval by the District’s Special Investigative Unit (SIU). See your school’s Staff Liaison for Volunteers for coordination of the Level 2 clearances.
All Level 2 volunteer clearances may be verified on District computers via CAB. Open the BCPS Resources folder. Go to Security Clearance. Open the email entitled, “Security Fingerprints.fp7” and follow the instructions.
All Level 2 volunteers must renew their clearances each year by completing a volunteer application and sending a VECHS security form to the Security Clearance Department. See your school’s Staff Liaison for Volunteers for more information.

General Security Information

All School Visitors

A visitor is a parent or other person who has business on your campus and who will remain in a supervised setting. The purposes of visitors may include child pick-up/drop off, parent conferences, one-time classroom or career day speakers, classroom observations, or parents dining with their child in the cafeteria. A visitor is not a volunteer.
All visitors must pass through the STAR system in the front office and should wear a visitor badge while on school campus. They must return to the STAR computer to sign out before leaving. Please be assured that the STAR computer will automatically perform a sexual predator background check.

All School Volunteers

A volunteer may be a parent, business partner or community member who is performing an unpaid service for the school’s students, teachers, staff or administration, in or outside of a classroom. (Examples: classroom assistant, field trip chaperone, tutor, fundraiser, special activity helper)
All volunteers must pass through the STAR system in the front office and must wear a volunteer badge while on campus. They must return to the STAR computer to sign out before leaving.
All volunteers are required to complete the online volunteer application each school year, whether the individual is a new or returning volunteer. Exceptions to this rule apply to one-time special event volunteers, such as a career day speaker or other classroom presenters who are processed in STAR as visitors.
Please note that a single individual may be both a visitor and a volunteer, dependent upon the reason he or she is on your campus on a single day. (Example: the individual is a visitor if the purpose is a teacher conference, but is a volunteer when he or she is helping the teacher in the classroom.)

Badge Identification of Visitors and Volunteers

A visitor badge is printed with the date it was issued. It is valid for one day only.
A volunteer badge is printed with the school year 2008/2009. It is valid for the entire school year.
A visitor’s badge does not record volunteer service hours, even if the purpose of the visit is to perform a volunteer activity. These hours will NOT count to awards and incentives for volunteer programs. Therefore it is most important to identify visitor badges erroneously issued for volunteer service.