Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids attend a private school in DC. We have a 20 hour family volunteering requirement per year. I likely triple this, but it's a good guideline.

Something cannot be both mandatory and volunteer.

Sure it can.

It can be unpaid but the very nature of volunteer is that you freely choose to do something. When that is forced it ceases to be a volunteer activity and become simply unpaid work.

Not necessarily. “To volunteer” and “a volunteer” are different things. You can most definitely be forced to choose from a number of unpaid jobs to fulfill your agreement with a school and once there you are a volunteer.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids attend a private school in DC. We have a 20 hour family volunteering requirement per year. I likely triple this, but it's a good guideline.

Something cannot be both mandatory and volunteer.

Sure it can.

It can be unpaid but the very nature of volunteer is that you freely choose to do something. When that is forced it ceases to be a volunteer activity and become simply unpaid work.

At this particular school, it's mandatory in the sense that it's part of the school handbook rules that we're required to sign off on, but lax in enforcement. No fine, no serious tracking of hours, although it's known who contributes and who doesn't and this factors into the school's letters of recommendation for private high schools. Our private preschool, on the other hand, required one of two volunteer cleanup days or a "fine" that went toward the cost of cleaning supplies. The fine was only $30 and we opted for that rather than giving up a Saturday for four years in a row.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids attend a private school in DC. We have a 20 hour family volunteering requirement per year. I likely triple this, but it's a good guideline.

Something cannot be both mandatory and volunteer.

Sure it can.

It can be unpaid but the very nature of volunteer is that you freely choose to do something. When that is forced it ceases to be a volunteer activity and become simply unpaid work.

The teacher should not be relying on volunteers to the extent that she requires them, requires them to perform her/his job. Not professional. Not organized. Some use of volunteers, occasionally, fine.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids attend a private school in DC. We have a 20 hour family volunteering requirement per year. I likely triple this, but it's a good guideline.

Something cannot be both mandatory and volunteer.

Sure it can.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids attend a private school in DC. We have a 20 hour family volunteering requirement per year. I likely triple this, but it's a good guideline.

Something cannot be both mandatory and volunteer.

My kid’s school is a public school but also has this “requirement”. I don’t think I’ve ever completed it and they’ve never said anything, though. My younger kid’s teacher is constantly emailing asking for volunteers at times that I am unavailable because of work. I’ve had a couple days off that they didn’t(like Columbus Day) so I could do it then but usually I cannot volunteer in the classroom like she would like.

Anonymous wrote:My kids attend a private school in DC. We have a 20 hour family volunteering requirement per year. I likely triple this, but it's a good guideline.

Something cannot be both mandatory and volunteer.