Volunteer Information
Volunteers are an essential ingredient in the success of our schools and our students. Thank you for your interest in becoming a volunteer with us at Spring-Ford Area School District!
As outlined in Spring-Ford Area School Districts Board Policy 916: 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 volunteer must be at least eighteen (18) years of age. A volunteer need not be a parent/ guardian of a student enrolled in the school district.
To read the full Board Policy Click Here
What are Spring-Ford's different types of volunteers?
Spring-Ford Area School District has two types of volunteers-
Limited Contact Volunteers
A volunteer in this category is in the range of volunteers who may perform a role with little to no contact with students, indirect contact with students, direct contact with students up to roles with or in close proximity to a school district employee while performing his/her volunteer service and there is NO time when the volunteer is alone with a student or in a secluded, isolated or remote area with a student without a school district employee being present.
Limited Contact volunteers include, but are not limited to, chaperones for single day fieldtrips, working events with home and school and other parent organizations, working in the concession stand or similar role, serving as a daily classroom, library or office assistant and/or assisting with classroom or building special events.
Substantial Contact Volunteers
A volunteer in this category may or will reasonably have direct contact with a student(s) while performing his/her volunteer service without direct supervision by a school district employee.
Direct contact time may include, but is not limited to, coaching and/or assisting with an athletic team or musical performing group, advising an extracurricular activity, chaperoning an overnight field trip or competition, and/or providing supplemental assistance to a student, without direct supervision by a school district employee.
What is Raptor Volunteer Management?
Step 1
Obtain Clearances
If you have previously volunteered with Spring-Ford Area School District and your clearances on file are dated within the last five years, move onto Step 2 now.
If you are new to Spring-Ford Area School District Volunteering OR if your clearances have expired, please see the requirements below.
Limited Contact Volunteer Requirements
- Act 34: PA Criminal Record Certificate Free for volunteers
- Act 151: Child Abuse History Certificate Report Free for volunteers
-
Volunteer Affidavit* affirming that you have lived in PA for the last 10 years and all other affirmations.
*If you have NOT lived in Pennsylvania for the last 10 years you must submit as a Substantial Volunteer
Substantial Contact Volunteer Requirements
- Act 34: PA Criminal Record Certificate Free for volunteers
- Act 151: Child Abuse History Certificate Report Free for volunteers
- Act 114: FBI Criminal Clearance Report* (fee associated)
- TB Risk Assessment
*PDE Service Code: 1KG6ZJ
Step 2
All volunteers are required to apply on Raptor Volunteer Management.
- If you are a new volunteer or your clearances have expired, you need to obtain all three of your clearances BEFORE completing the Raptor application
- If you are a returning volunteer with valid clearances, you will select that you are a returning volunteer within the Raptor application
FAQ's
- Is there a deadline to submit my Raptor Application before an event?
- What are current/valid clearances?
- How secure is Raptor Volunteer Management?
- What information should I upload for the FBI Fingerprints?
- How do I convert my paper copies into electronic copies?
- Will Spring-Ford Area School District reimburse me for my clearances?
- Will I still need to provide a State Issued Photo ID when entering the school?
- Where can I find information about how to get involved?
- My application was denied. What now?
- Should I keep copies of my clearances for my own records?
- What is the Raptor Volunteer Portal?
- How do I access the Raptor Volunteer Portal?
- I am a student enrolled in an education program at a college looking for field or observation hours. What do I do?
- Still have questions?
Is there a deadline to submit my Raptor Application before an event?
What are current/valid clearances?
How secure is Raptor Volunteer Management?
What information should I upload for the FBI Fingerprints?
How do I convert my paper copies into electronic copies?
Please submit each clearance as an individual file.
If a scanner is not available, please follow steps below:
On an Apple device:
- Open Notes and select create a new note
- Tap the Camera button, then tap Scan Documents
- Place your document in view of the camera
- Tap the shutter button. Then drag the corners to adjust the scan to fit the page.
- Tap Save or add additional scans to the document (to add another page).
On an Android device:
- Open the Google Drive app.
- In the bottom right, tap Add
- Tap Scan
- Take a phone of the document you’d like to scan
- adjust scan area by tapping crop
- take photo again by hitting the re-scan icon
- scan another page by tapping add
- To save the finished document, tap Done
Will Spring-Ford Area School District reimburse me for my clearances?
Will I still need to provide a State Issued Photo ID when entering the school?
Where can I find information about how to get involved?
My application was denied. What now?
Should I keep copies of my clearances for my own records?
What is the Raptor Volunteer Portal?
The Raptor Volunteer Portal for Spring-Ford Area School District is an area in which you can check the status of your clearances and update your personal volunteering information. You will obtain access to this area via email after you are approved as a volunteer.
After you are an approved volunteer through Raptor, this is where you will see your clearance expiration date in addition to the emails you will receive 90 and 30 days prior to your expiration date.
How do I access the Raptor Volunteer Portal?
Click HERE to sign in.
I am a student enrolled in an education program at a college looking for field or observation hours. What do I do?
Still have questions?
Please contact Renee Strausberg in the Office of Human Resources.
- volunteerclearances@spring-ford.net
- 610-705-6083
Volunteer Contact
Renee Strausberg- Office of Human Resources
Contact Information:
610-705-6083 volunteerclearances@spring-ford.net