Skip To Main Content

Overnight Field Trip Chaperones, Band Adjuncts, and Good news Club Volunteers

APPROVAL PROCESS

Overnight Field Trip Chaperones, Band Adjuncts and Good News Club Volunteers

Overnight chaperones, band adjuncts and/or Good News Club volunteers must be fingerprinted and pass a level II background check that is conducted via fingerprint submission to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) national database. This will give Volusia County Schools the ability to know definitively who is in direct contact with students.

It is recommended fingerprinting be done at least one month prior to a field trip or providing services to band programs or Good News Clubs. Overnight chaperones, band adjuncts and/or Good News Club volunteers will be responsible for paying the fees associated with the fingerprinting and background check. An approved status for overnight chaperones, band adjuncts and/or Good News Club volunteers will be valid for one year. Please review the Frequently Asked Questions (link below) for more detailed information.

Volusia County Schools employees, including substitutes, are not required to be re-fingerprinted.

Application Process

Overnight chaperones, band adjuncts and/or Good News Club volunteers must fill out an application to volunteer with Volusia County Schools. Be sure to check “Chaperone – Overnight,” “Band Adjunct,” and/or “Good News Club” on the “Functions” page of the application. An appointment is required to be fingerprinted. Please read How To Schedule Fingerprinting (link below) for instructions.

If you are already an approved volunteer and want to be approved as an overnight chaperone, band adjunct and/or Good News Club volunteer, please contact the VIPS office at (386) 255-6475, 734-7190, 427-5223 or 860- 3322, extension 38379 or 38381, for instructions.

Initial cost for year one $41.25, annual renewal $6, after five years $11.25, followed by annual renewal $6 (costs are subject to change and are based on the fees charged by the FDLE).

Renewals

Overnight chaperones, band adjuncts and/or Good News Club volunteers will be notified via the email account associated with their volunteer application at least 30 days prior to the expiration. For a fee of $6 annually, overnight chaperones and/or band adjuncts can renew their approved status. This will pay for the fee the FDLE charges to retain fingerprints. If an overnight chaperone, band adjunct and/or Good News Club volunteer allows the approval to expire, but wishes to retain approved status, they must be re-fingerprinted and pay the initial cost of $41.25. Volunteer/Partnership Programs 10/18/2021 At the end of every five years, if the volunteer would like to continue as an approved overnight chaperone, band adjunct and/or Good News Club volunteer, the school district will digitally resubmit fingerprints to the FDLE for an updated national criminal history record search. The fee must be paid by the chaperone/adjunct/Good News volunteer prior to resubmittal and will be $11.25. Applicants will not need to be physically re-fingerprinted.

Level II Background Screening

Through the Volunteer and Employee Criminal History System (VECHS), the FDLE and the FBI will provide Volusia County Schools with state and national criminal history record information on overnight chaperones, band adjuncts and/or Good News Club volunteers. With this criminal history information, the district can more effectively screen out current and prospective volunteers who are not suitable for contact with children.

A level II background screening will provide the district with:

  1. An indication that the person has no criminal history, i.e., no serious arrests in state or national databases, if there are none.
  2. The criminal history record (RAP sheet) that shows arrests/and or convictions for Florida and other states, if any.
  3. Notification of any warrants or domestic violence injunctions that the person may have.

See the Eligibility Statement (link below) for offenses that will disqualify overnight chaperones and/or band adjuncts. The same statute that disqualifies school district employees from being hired will be used (Chapter 1012, Section 315, Florida Statutes).