APS visitor policy - does it really prevent parents from attending school events without background check?

[Anonymous]

Food for thought for parents who believe having people watch a video will protect their children...

https://www.arlnow.com/2024/04/26/breaking-elementary-school-extended-day-employee-showed-porn-to-kids-police-say/?utm_source=ARLnow&utm_campaign=056c89c639-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2024_04_26_02_15&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_d7fd851ea7-056c89c639-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D&mc_cid=056c89c639&mc_eid=263adc21a4

[Anonymous]

So what I am understanding is that the OP went to the school for an event, not to volunteer. The OP was then turned away because he or she had not completed a requirement for people who volunteer, even though volunteering, wasn’t the activity that was going to happen. it just seems like there is a policy that, at least by the wording of it provided in this thread, does not apply in the context of what OP was there to do, which was not volunteering. In my view, the school system can put in place Restrictions through normal processes, but I can’t see why the school would have the authority to expand the scope of a restriction to refuse to allow a parent to attend an event because he or she didn’t complete a requirement needed for another activity, here volunteering. I would assume that, at OP been informed that the training was required for people who were attending events, then it could have been taken care of before arriving at the school. But that’s not what the policy Says , so I’m not sure how that is relevant. Unto those who seem to be criticizing, the OP for not volunteering at the school, the very word volunteering means that it is optional. For my part, there have been years that I have been substantially involved in volunteering at our kids, school, including in very time, intensive leadership roles, and there have been years when I haven’t been at all involved. That’s the beautiful thing about volunteering, it’s completely optional. And not volunteering doesn’t mean that the culture turn you away from school events.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That's not the point. The point are they really legally allowed to do that (in which case the law/policy is the problem)? Or are they making it up (in which case the school is the problem) For regular volunteers I can understand the requirement. For a parent coming to school once in a blue moon this is an overreach in my opinion. Why do I have to "learn" to jump through additional hoops with no reasonable rationale for it. Who know what they will come up with next - mentality of just complying with everything that gets thrown at you without any critical thinking is not the way to go.

If you are someone who believes protecting children from sexual assault isn’t a reasonable rationale then please don’t go in classrooms.

[phone]