Boyertown Area School District volunteers play a key role in supporting staff, students, sports and music programs, and other activities throughout our schools. We appreciate your interest in becoming a volunteer!

BASD collects and tracks volunteer information using Raptor, a software program in place throughout the district.

1. The individual volunteer submits an application and required clearances through Raptor using their personal contact information. This application includes an upload of all necessary clearances.
2. The completed application is routed to our Human Resources department for approval.
3. Once approved, the volunteer will receive personal access to the volunteer portal via email to the address used to complete their application.

Why do I need clearances? The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania requires any person in direct contact with school children to complete background checks. You can read more on the PA Department of Education's Website.

ALL BASD Volunteer Athletic Coaches are required to follow this process.

There is a difference between a visitor and a volunteer.

All volunteers are required to obtain clearances. "Volunteer" is defined as an adult in an unpaid volunteer position who is responsible for a child's welfare or has direct contact with children. Direct contact shall mean care, supervision, guidance, or control of children or routine interaction with children. Any adult who is individually responsible for the children's welfare, directly caring for, supervising, guiding, or controlling the children, is required to obtain clearances. Any volunteer who is present and working with students one or more times per week will be presumed to be a volunteer and must obtain clearances.

Visitors are not required to obtain clearances to the extent that such visitors are not responsible for a child’s welfare or are visiting the school irregularly and not providing for the care, supervision, guidance, or control of children. Assembly attendees, sporting event attendees, mystery readers (who come in, they read, they leave) are examples of visitors.

Parent/teacher organization volunteers who volunteer at events outside of normal school hours ONLY are visitors and are subject to their organization's rules.

However, such parent/teacher organization volunteers who volunteer in the building during the school day are considered volunteers under this process.

Anyone helping with a school-sponsored event, regardless of whether or not the event takes place during school hours, who is responsible for a child's welfare, etc., must obtain clearances.For example, if you volunteer with the high school musical, this process applies to you, and your clearances MUST be on file with HR in order for you to help.

The Pennsylvania Public School Code, Section 1418(b) requires that school personnel be tested for TB. School personnel to be tested include employees and independent contractors who provide direct services to students on behalf of a school, including but not limited to teachers, nurses, administrators, physicians, dentists, dental hygienists, custodians, janitors, cooks, cafeteria workers, bus drivers, librarians, psychologists, audiologists and counselors, and student teachers and volunteers. The Department of Health defines "direct services" as those persons in direct contact with students ten or more hours/week.

The TB Test process occurs over multiple days. The test is administered. Wait 48-72 hours. Go back to have the test read. Tests are available through your physician's office, urgent care type locations, clinics, and local pharmacies.

TB Test results must be dated within three months of submission and will only be required one time. Unless specific circumstances require additional testing (potential exposure, etc.), TB test results will NOT be subject to the five-year renewal process.

This provision is also included in our Board Policy Item #916.

This provision includes:

1. ALL new 10+ hour volunteers. The TB test results MUST be included at the time of their new Volunteer Application before final approval.
2. ALL NEW Volunteer Athletic Coaches.
3. ALL active volunteers who are found to be working 10+ hours per week based on random tracking through Raptor*
   
   

*NOTE: The system tracks volunteer hours and volunteers determined to serve 10+ hours per week will be asked to provide TB Test results, if they have not done so. Those volunteers will not be able to serve until the results are received.

IF YOU REQUIRE A TB TEST, those test results MUST be included when you upload your CHILD ABUSE CLEARANCE. Raptor does NOT have a separate place for you to submit the TB test results. The document MUST be part of your CHILD ABUSE upload.

1. ALL clearances, including the BASD Act 153 Volunteer Affidavit, are active for five years from the date on the form or date of notarization (not the date of submission). TB tests do not typically expire unless there is a specified reason for retesting.
   
   
2. There is a BASD Volunteer email address for questions. That address is volunteer@boyertownasd.org. HR monitors the address.
   
   
3. It may take up to 10 business days to receive an email response and/or submission approval, particularly during high-volume submission periods. Please plan accordingly.
   
   
4. Volunteers are required to sign in and sign out, not only for BASD to track volunteer service hours but also as an added level of safety and security for you, our staff, and students at each building.

Never, ever, ever get rid of your original volunteer paperwork - or at least not for the five years that it is considered current with BASD. We are dealing with technology that can sometimes fail the humans it is designed to help and humans who are...well, human.

Please visit us at https://www.boyertownasd.org/Page/6459 and get started today! We look forward to you joining our volunteer team!

Please refer to the instructions provided in the email sent by Raptor. BASD will then review your re-submission before approval.

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