BY MARK J. CRAWFORD
Last week, Bradford County School Board members were informed of a proposed policy change requiring an even higher level of scrutiny for volunteers in their schools.
Operations and Safety Director Jeff Edison presented the revised language during a Feb. 10 workshop, which included the requirement that many school volunteers be fingerprinted as a part of their background checks.
Minimum screening requirements would continue to require screening the volunteer’s name or other identifying information for criminal history or presence on a sexual offender of predator data base.
However, “volunteers who will be working with students without direct supervision from school personnel, whether on or off campus — including during day trips or overnight trips — must meet Level 2 screening requirements,” which are listed in Florida law.
Those screening requirements include fingerprinting for local, statewide and federal criminal history checks as well as checks on sexual offender and predator databases. According to statute, the background investigations must ensure that volunteers have not been arrested for (awaiting final disposition), found guilty of, or entered a guilty or no contest plea to a number of serious crimes. These include fraud, burglary, theft, arson, battery, abuse, child negligence, elderly exploitation, kidnapping, sex crimes, drug crimes, or any other violent crime, whether resisting arrest, vehicular manslaughter, aggravated assault, etc.
All volunteer athletic coaches will go through Level 2 screening, according to the proposed policy.
Responsibility for processing volunteers falls on the district’s human resources department, but the cost of fingerprinting will not. Edison recommended the district not absorb what would be a large cost. Fingerprinting cost is approaching $90 per person, according to Human Resources Director Aimee Ferguson, and the district has close to 200 volunteers.
Fingerprinting will require forethought on the part of volunteers, as well, since the checks can take five to seven days on average to be returned.
Ferguson said volunteers are reapproved every year, but the fingerprinting would be good for five years. They are in the process of moving employee and volunteer records to the Agency for Healthcare Administration system, which will unite school districts and other agencies like the Department of Children and Families. The district would be alerted if there is a change in someone’s status.
The public hearing on this and other policy changes will take place Monday, March 10, at 5:01 p.m. in the boardroom at the district offices.
Other proposed policy revisions to purchasing and grant administration requirements reflect updates in federal guidelines, with the revisions drafted by attorneys with the North East Florida Educational Consortium.
Tax-Aide scheduling appointments for free tax assistance for the elderly
Elderly taxpayers can receive free assistance in filing through the AARP Foundation’s Tax-Aide program, which will have volunteers working at the Bradford County Public Library.
Taxpayers don’t need to be AARP members to receive assistance.
Volunteers will begin offering assistance in February, but you can schedule an appointment now by calling 904-863-6047 or filling out a form online at tinyurl.com/starketax.
Appointments will be available on Thursdays from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.
Tax-Aide, the nation’s largest free tax-assistance service, served 1.7 million taxpayers in 2024.
Taxpayers must present picture IDs for themselves and their spouses and provide a Social-Security card for all who’ll be listed on a return. Tax-Aide volunteers gather personal information, including marital and household dependents, income, expenses and life events. All Tax-Aide volunteers sign an agreement to keep all taxpayer information secure, using it only to complete the individual’s tax return.
Tax returns are completed by certified counselors and then reviewed for completeness and accuracy by a second certified counselor.
Taxpayers will receive paper copies of their returns, which will be filed electronically.
COG food distribution
Starke Church of God by Faith and Farm Share’s upcoming food distribution is Thursday, Feb. 20, from 10–11:30 a.m. This is a drive-thru distribution. The church is located at 730 Old Lawtey Road in Starke. (Distribution times depend on delivery times.)
