INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis Public Schools updated its process for volunteers this year, most notably for background checks.
The school district said it has always required background checks, and the district used federal ESSER funds to cover the cost. That funding ran out for this year, meaning volunteers have to pay out of their own pockets for the checks.
The background checks cost between $15.99 and $19.90. IPS said there are options to help cover the cost for families that can't pay the fee, whether it comes directly from the school or a group like the PTA, or a parent-to-parent donation.
"The best thing to do is to connect to the school leader. The second way that may look is through the PTA," said Christina Aden Hamer, chief human resources officer for IPS. "They may say, 'Hey, we know there are some folks who will need some support.' If the PTA wanted to sponsor that, they would get with the school."
Hamer said communication is the key factor in the new policy.
This year, IPS implemented a three-tier volunteer system. Different tiers were determined by the amount of supervision a volunteer would have during their visit and what level of background check was required.
IPS says it's also aware that the application is currently only available in English. Hamer said Nimble, the system used for the applications, does not offer other languages. She said the district is working to make translations in other languages available.
Currently, IPS says there are 650 volunteer applications in process, with 200 having been approved so far.