To make your experience as a school volunteer a beneficial one for the students and for you, please follow these guidelines while helping in the schools.

1.  Your main concern while engaged in school activities should be the safety and education of all student.
2. You must not give students medication.
3. You shall not disclose or share with anyone in any manner (written, electronically or verbally) any student information, which may include
   academic performance, behavior, disabilities, and personal or family matters, obtained from any source (written records, verbal communications, or direct observation), except for information dealing with a reasonable suspicion that a child is abused, abandoned or neglected, which must be reported to a school administrator (Chapters 39.201, 1002.22, and 1022,221, Florida Statutes).
4.  You shall not photograph, videotape or record audio of any student without permission from both the parent and the principal.
5. You may not supervise a classroom or discipline students. These are the responsibilities of the teacher and the schools.
6. You will be assigned only to staff members and/or students requesting help.
7. You should set a good example for students by your manner, appearance, and behavior.
8. Your volunteer involvement is limited to the school site, school hours, and at school-sponsored activities.
9. You are required to complete an application form annually before helping school activities.
10. You must wear a name badge for identification when helping with school activities.
11. You are required to scan your volunteer badge in and out of a school.

Confidentiality

Student records, also known as education records, created and/or maintained by The School Board of Miami-Dade, Florida, are official and confidential documents protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), the Health Insurance Portability Act (HIPAA), Florida Statutes, Public Records Law, School Board policy 5100.1 (Student Records: Confidentiality and Family Educational Rights), and other School Board policies. School Board policy 5100.1 states that only school officials should have access to student information which may include students’ grades, academic performance, and behavior during school hours (including but not limited to the behavior observed in a classroom setting, cafeteria, etc.), disabilities, personal matters and family matters. School official is a person employed by the District as an administrator, supervisor, instructor, or support staff member (including
health and medical staff and law enforcement unit personnel); a person serving on the School Board; a person or company with whom the district has contracted to perform a special task that would normally be performed by SBBC personnel (such as an attorney, auditor, medical consultant or therapist); clerical or paraprofessional staff member assisting another school official in
performing his or her professional tasks.

CAUTION: Volunteers (including parents assisting at the school) and students assisting teachers and other staff are not “school officials” and are not permitted to have access to other students’ personally identifiable information. The District is committed to protecting student records from unauthorized disclosure and honoring the privacy rights of our students and their families.

Security Background Information
To become a volunteer in South Florida Autism Center, a criminal background history check will be conducted. A prior criminal record may or may not result in your disqualification to volunteer. However, a failure to disclose your record will result in an immediate end to your involvement as a volunteer. Therefore, if your answer is ‘Yes’ to any of the following questions, your volunteer application will be denied.

Background Check Questions

1. Have you EVER BEEN convicted of child abuse, incest, lewd and lascivious action, pornography, or other sexual offenses?
2. Have you EVER BEEN convicted of the sale or possession of drugs, drug paraphernalia, or other drug related offense?
3. Have you EVER BEEN convicted of assault, battery, or other violent crime?

NOTE: In Florida, the entire arrest record can be revealed to school districts including sealed, expunged records, military court proceedings, and juvenile records.

Public Records Exemption
If you are you an active or former member of law enforcement, a firefighter, a Department of Children and Family Services Employee, a judge, a state or assistant state attorney, a government employee with duties involving human resources, labor relations, code enforcement officers or a spouse or child of the foregoing categories, you may be public records exempt according to provisions of FL 119.071.

Intellectual Property
Products of creative effort, are works that come within the subject matter of copyright or patent laws, including, but are not limited to, dramatic presentation, multimedia productions, courses, websites, motion pictures, videos, videotapes, software, radio scripts, television productions, lectures, books, magazine articles, lessons, bulletins, guides, artwork, machinery, architecture, and apparatus, now known or later developed. The listed items are by way of example and the omission of other works not mentioned shall not be construed as being omitted from the definition.
The volunteer hereby acknowledges that all products of creative effort produced by the volunteer for purposes of his or her volunteering activities at the BCPS schools are the property of the School Board, which is the copyright holder and patent owner of the work. The volunteer releases all claims to copyright or patent rights by submitting this application to the School Board. This release of claims is required prior to the approval of the volunteer application.
The volunteer hereby grants and assigns the title of such creative effort to the school Board as the copyright holder or patent owner of said work. A volunteer, who intends to claim ownership or copyright to any creative effort while volunteering with BCPS, must first submit a written request for approval describing the creative effort product with particularity and must first obtain the written approval from the school principal prior, following the procedures set forth in Policy 4212, Rule B.

Authorization Statements

1. By signing the volunteer application, I certify that I have read and fully understand all sections of this Disclosure.
2. I further state that all information is true and accurate on my application.
3. I agree to abide by the policies of the South Florida Autism Center and certify that I know, understand and agree that any false statements or omissions of information requested will result in the immediate end to my volunteer involvement with students.
4. I understand that submitting the volunteer application does not guarantee placement in a volunteer position.
5. I understand that my involvement with South Florida Autism Center may be terminated with or without cause at the discretion of either South Florida Autism Center or by me, the volunteer.
6. I understand that South Florida Autism Center reserves the right to check the criminal background of its volunteers.
7. I give permission to conduct any investigation necessary to verify all information identified on the volunteer application. In addition, I understand that volunteer information is public under Florida statutes, except as protected by law.
8. I authorize the schools’ staff or volunteer liaison to contact me regarding my service as a school volunteer.