Woodland Hills School District
Volunteer Program
As a volunteer, you are an important part of the school community. When you become a volunteer, your work takes on special significance -- though you are not part of the staff, you share the same standards that paid staff are held to while engaged with students. School volunteers may be parents or community members. Volunteers can be utilized in a variety of situations in schools, ranging from one time only, to monthly, weekly or daily commitments. They may provide tutorial help, monitor lunchrooms, staff libraries, and supervise playgrounds. They might share a special skill, occupation, or talent with the students.
- Availability, dependability, reliability, friendliness, and flexibility.
- Awareness of and willingness to follow all school district or state-mandated criteria.
- Special talents or abilities that help to enrich the school program.
- Recognition that accepting an assignment is a serious commitment.
- Maintain strict confidentiality regarding students and school personnel.
- A desire and interest in working with children and youth.
- A willingness to learn and to follow directions while working with students.
As a prospective district volunteer, you will be required to provide the district with the clearances required by both the state of Pennsylvania and the Woodland Hills School District. Please do not continue with this process until you have the clearances listed below, in electronic format (PDF format preferred), and are able to upload them when required in this process.
NOTE: PDE’s view is that mere visitors are not normally required to obtain background checks 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. Some examples of situations where such visitors normally would not be required to have background checks would include but are not limited to: Back-to -School nights, parent/teacher conferences, school assemblies, school concerts, assisting with school birthday parties, parent guest readers, chaperones for field trips and dances (so long as not routine or responsible for the child’s welfare), Halloween parades, collecting tickets to sporting events, working concession stands, participating in “Career Day,” Etc. In this capacity, school visitors do not need the clearances. To be know if you need to submit clearances or not please contact your volunteer coordinator.
Further information regarding the required clearances for volunteers can be found at PA School Clearances.
The following documents are required by the state to authorize clearance within this school district:
Act 34 Clearance (PA State Police Criminal Background Check)
Act 151 Clearance (PA Child Abuse History Clearance). This link will redirect you to a page to start the creation of your Keystone ID, which is required to access the Child Welfare Clearance website. If you already have a Keystone ID, you may click on the link to the Child Welfare Portal to either download your clearances if you have them, or login to request them.
Act 114 Clearance (Federal Background Check – if a resident of PA for less than 10 years)
OR
PA PDE Volunteer form (Arrest/Conviction Report and Certification Form – if a resident of PA for more than 10 years)
In addition, if you will be involved in direct contact with students for 10 or more hours per week you will be required to submit a negative result to a tuberculin test before your application can be approved.
Some of our partnering organizations:
H.U.G.S.
MADDADS
PTO
Carnegie Free Library of Swissvale