EC-8 Volunteer and Clearance Information
We LOVE our volunteers at Dock Mennonite Academy!
Please complete the steps below if you are interested in volunteering during the school year. Clearances are required to volunteer. See step 3 for more information on how to obtain all required clearances. Once you apply, our staff will contact you with available opportunities going forward.
- STEP 1 - READ THE VOLUNTEER GUIDELINES
- STEP 2 - COMPLETE THE VOLUNTEER APPLICATION
- STEP 3 - APPLY FOR CLEARANCES
STEP 1 - READ THE VOLUNTEER GUIDELINES
Agree to the Volunteer Guidelines - In order to make the most of your contribution as a volunteer at Dock Mennonite Academy, we are providing the following guidelines.
Dependability
- Teachers and other staff members depend on you to do work that is critical to the smooth management of classroom activities and student learning.
- Honor your commitment and arrive on time.
Service
- Positive connections between a child and an adult have a great impact on the child’s development.
- You are making a commitment to serve all of our students. You may be tempted to focus on your own child, but please remember that the other students in your care also need and benefit from your help and guidance.
Professionalism
- When you work with students, everything from how you speak to the clothing you wear can make an impression.
- Keeping a friendly but professional attitude will help to influence students to be more focused on learning.
- Stay focused on the students in your care.
- Cell phones should be silenced.
- Avoid making and receiving phone calls and/or text messages.
Confidentiality
- Confidentiality is the right of all of our students.
- Information about a student’s academic or home life should stay confidential. The only exception is if you have reason to believe that a student might be harmed, in which case you should notify a staff member.
Safety and Health
- You play an important role in maintaining a safe school and a positive school climate. Being alert to student safety is the responsibility of all volunteers.
- Volunteers are not permitted to take children to the restroom alone.
- When you are talking to a child or group of children, be aware of your positioning and keep your eyes open for other situations in which you may be needed.
- All volunteers are expected to monitor their own health, and to stay home if experiencing any illness.
Positive Attitude
- Please respect students as individuals.
- If a student under your supervision if off-task or misbehaving, politely, but firmly, ask the student to take the positive action you would like them to take.
- A good rule of thumb is to try this twice and if the student still does not listen, tell the teacher or staff member in charge.
- Share your enthusiasm with the staff members and volunteers around you and especially with other parents and community members. We hope this information is helpful to you. Please know that if you have any questions or concerns, you may contact Claire Wanamaker, EC-Grade 8 Principal. Your commitment to volunteer within our school is key to our continued success. Dock Mennonite Academy has a rich history of family support and we commend all of those who have played a part in helping our students receive the best education possible!
STEP 2 - COMPLETE THE VOLUNTEER APPLICATION
STEP 3 - APPLY FOR CLEARANCES
Volunteers have been sharing their gifts with the Dock community since our founding in 1945! Volunteers today help out in many ways including chaperoning field trips, and monitoring students in the classroom, cafeteria, and on the playground. We rely on volunteers to enrich many areas of school life and invite you to consider how you can help.
For the safety of all our children, we are required for follow PA state laws for all volunteers who are in direct contact with children. All volunteers are equired to obtain THREE clearances: the PA Criminal History Clearance, the PA Child Abuse History Clearance, and the FBI Federal Criminal History Report (fingerprinting).
Volunteers must renew all clearances every five years in order to remain in compliance.
Effective July 25, 2015, fees for both the PA Child Abuse History and PA Criminal History Background checks will be waived for volunteers working with children. The fee for the fingerprinting will remain unchanged, as this is a federal report.
To apply for clearances:
- To Schedule your ten-minute fingerprint appointment, simply visit https://uenroll.identogo.com and enter the following Service Code 1KG6TR
- Register online
- Enter required information
- Review fingerprinting site locations, hours, and items to take with you to fingerprint site
- Travel to the site and have fingerprint scanned
- If you have been a Pennsylvania resident for at least 10 years, you can opt out of the fingerprinting report and instead sign an Act 153 Volunteer Affidavit in order to volunteer. This affidavit will ask you to swear that you have been a citizen of Pennsylvania for at least 10 years and that you have not been convicted of any number of offenses listed on the affidavit. This affidavit must be signed and notarized on an annual basis.
When you have received your documents, please bring us a copy for our records. You will keep the originals. If you have received these specific clearances for church or community work, you can simply bring us a copy. If you have further questions, please contact Jenn Crissman at jcrissman@dock.org.
Thank you for adhering to these new requirements and for all that you do to support our school through your volunteer work.