Guidelines

Initial Communication – All YES Prep Volunteers must first express a desire to Volunteer by communicating directly to the campus. A campus administrator will make a preliminary determination as to whether there is an opportunity to volunteer. 

Opportunity to Volunteer – If an opportunity to volunteer is available, the campus will communicate with you directly to provide a link to the Volunteer Application. 

Criminal Background Check – All YES Prep volunteers must complete the Volunteer Application, agree to this code of conduct and authorize YES Prep to complete a criminal background check. 

Training – Depending on the volunteer role, you may be required to attend relevant training. It is highly recommended and expected that you familiarize yourself with the Standard Response Protocols and how to respond to an emergency on campus.  

Sign In – All volunteers must enter through the front office and sign in and out at campus reception. Please note the following: 

• You must provide a valid form of identification the first time you sign-in to your designated campus. Once signed in and verified as an approved volunteer, you do not need to continuously provide your ID every time you’re on campus. However, you must sign in and out at reception upon every visit to campus. 

• Simply applying to be a volunteer does NOT mean you are an approved volunteer.  

• If any of your information does not match our records, you will be asked to leave the premises until further notice. 

• If you are not allowed onto campus, please kindly leave, and contact the campus via phone or e-mail if you believe there was a mistake. 

Name Badge – All volunteers must always wear assigned name badge. 

Dress Code – Appropriate (neat and conservative) dress is required. Casual dress may be acceptable. Remember, you are a role model for students.  

Dependability – Contact the campus/YES Prep contact if you are unable to attend as scheduled. 

No Smoking – All YES Prep facilities are smoke and tobacco-free zones. It is a violation of state law to smoke or use tobacco products on YES property or during YES related or sanctioned activities on or off campus. 

Discipline or Other Concerns – Report any discipline, academic or social/emotional concerns to the School Principal. Connect with Director of Campus Operations for more information on proper reporting procedures. 

Materials and Supplies – Return any school supplies used in your volunteer role and work with your YES Prep contact or Director of Campus Operations if you need any additional supplies. 

• Please note that any school property or items intentionally damaged will need to be compensated for in full. Failure to compensate for the intentional damaging of property, items, or equipment will result in losing volunteering privileges. 

Cell Phone Use – Volunteers should limit the use of personal devices while serving in a volunteer capacity to limit distractions. Additionally, volunteers are prohibited from taking photos of students while serving as a volunteer.  

Volunteers are not to disclose or share any of YES Prep's confidential information, either during or after ending volunteer assignment. In addition, certain volunteers may be required to sign a confidentiality agreement that will be issued by the Director of Campus Operations.  

Confidential information includes all confidential, proprietary and trade secret information; records and specifications owned or licensed by YES Prep and/or used by YES Prep in connection with the operation of its business including, without limitation, YES Prep's business processes, methods, student lists, student records, accounts, procedures; and other information that is not generally available in the businesses and industries in which YES Prep is directly or indirectly engaged or which YES Prep treats as confidential and proprietary information. 

Meeting with students in your role as a volunteer must abide by the following: 

• Any meeting or activity with a student must take place on the school campus or as part of a school-sponsored or school-related activity such as a field trip. 

• Off-campus meetings and/or outside communication between the volunteer and the student are strictly prohibited unless under the direct supervision of a school employee and with Principal approval. 

• Communication  

• Any communication with any student and campus personnel should be always conducted in a positive and respectful manner whether in person, e-mail, text, phone call or any other form of communication (pending Parental/DCO/Principal consent for e-mail, text, social media, or phone call). 

• Please refrain from yelling or using inappropriate language or hand/body gestures when volunteering. 

• Please be mindful and understanding that some students have visual, hearing and/or communication impairments, therefore, please be patient and understanding of all student populations. 

• Communication with students using electronic media is prohibited except in the limited circumstances described here: the term "electronic media" includes all forms of social media, such as text messaging, instant messaging, electronic mail (email), web logs (blogs), electronic forums (chat rooms), video sharing web sites (for example, YouTube), editorial comments posted on the Internet, and social network sites (for example Facebook, Snap Chat, Twitter, Linkedln). Electronic media also includes all forms of telecommunication such as land lines, cell phones, and web‐ based applications. Under the following limited circumstances, electronic media may be used to contact a student solely regarding mentoring/tutoring issues: 

• If the parent consents in writing to the type of contact: 

• If the parent consents the volunteer may communicate with the student by telephone or cellular phone. There may be no communication between the hours of 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. Upon request by the parent, student or Principal, the volunteer will stop all communication with the student by telephone or cellular phone. The volunteer will only communicate with the student by text messaging regarding the volunteer activities. 

• If the parent consents, the volunteer may use email to communicate with the student only about volunteering activities. The volunteer may not communicate with the student by email during school hours or between the hours of 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. Upon parent, student, or Principal request, the volunteer will stop all email communication. 

• The volunteer is prohibited from knowingly communicating with a student through a personal social network page. 

Transporting a student in your personal car as part of your volunteer activities is prohibited unless prior permission by a parent/guardian and the School Principal has been obtained. If permission is granted, please contact your Director of Campus Operations to then apply for approval.

• Restrict physical contact – avoid most if not all physical contact with students.  

• Use common sense – perception varies from individual to individual.  

• Remember that what you see as simple, friendly affection between you and the student may be viewed as something entirely different by someone else. 

Volunteer opportunities and interactions are to be conducted with integrity, honesty, and respect. Volunteers are expected to deal fairly and honestly with our students, parents, YES Prep employees, and others with whom we do business and remain in compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and YES Prep policies. 

Section 22.0835 of the Education Code that YES Prep Public Schools must follow for volunteers:

Sec. 22.0835. ACCESS TO CRIMINAL HISTORY RECORDS OF STUDENT TEACHERS AND VOLUNTEERS BY LOCAL AND REGIONAL EDUCATION AUTHORITIES.

(a) A school district, open- enrollment charter school, or shared services arrangement shall obtain from the department and may obtain from any other law enforcement or criminal justice agency or a private entity that is a consumer reporting agency governed by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (15 U.S.C. Section 1681 et seq.), all criminal history record information that relates to:

(1) a person participating in an internship consisting of student teaching to receive a teaching certificate; or

(2) a volunteer or person who has indicated, in writing, an intention to serve as a volunteer with the district, school, or shared services arrangement.

(b)  A private school or regional education service center may obtain from any law enforcement or criminal justice agency all criminal history record information that relates to a person who volunteers or has indicated, in writing, an intention to serve as a volunteer with the school or service center.

(c)  A person to whom Subsection (a) or (b) applies must provide to the school district, open-enrollment charter school, private school, regional education service center, or shared services arrangement a driver's license or another form of identification containing the person's photograph issued by an entity of the United States government.

(d)  A person to whom Subsection (a) applies may not perform any student teaching or volunteer duties until all requirements under Subsections (a) and (c) have been satisfied.

(e)  Subsections (a) and (c) do not apply to a person who volunteers or is applying to volunteer with a school district, open-enrollment charter school, or shared services arrangement if the person:

(1) is the parent, guardian, or grandparent of a child who is enrolled in the district or school for which the person volunteers or is applying to volunteer;

(2) will be accompanied by a school district employee while on a school campus; or

(3) is volunteering for a single event on the school campus.

(f)  A school district, open-enrollment charter school, or shared services arrangement may obtain from any law enforcement or criminal justice agency all criminal history record information that relates to a person to whom Subsection (e) applies.

(g)  A school district, open-enrollment charter school, private school, regional education service center, or shared services arrangement may require a student teacher, volunteer, or volunteer applicant to pay any costs related to obtaining criminal history record information under this section.

Please familiarize yourself with the Standard Response Protocol (SRP) below.

Easy to understand. Easy to implement.

A uniform, planned, and practiced response to any incident is the foundation of a safe school. Safe business. Safe community. The SRP is action-based, flexible, and easy to learn. It rationally organizes tactics for response to weather events, fires, accidents, intruders and other threats to personal safety.

The SRP’s development is ever evolving, created with extensive collaboration between experts such as first responders, public safety, school, districts, and communities. Its tactics are data-driven, researched and based on experience and contemporary practices.

On the Same Page. Everyone.

The benefits of SRP become quickly apparent. By standardizing the vocabulary, all stakeholders can understand the response and status of the event.

For students, this provides continuity of expectations and actions throughout their educational career. For teachers, this becomes a simpler process to train and drill. For communities, it leverages the growing adoption of the protocols from residents of all ages. For first responders, the common vocabulary and protocols establish a greater predictability that persists through the duration of an incident.

People easily understand the practices and can reinforce the protocol. Additionally, this protocol enables rapid response determination when an unforeseen event occurs.

SRP is Action Based

The Standard Response Protocol (SRP) is based on the response to any given situation not on individual scenarios. Like the Incident Command System (ICS), SRP demands a specific vocabulary but also allows for great flexibility. The premise is simple - these five specific actions that can be performed during an incident. When communicating these, the action is labeled with a "Term of Art" and is then followed by a "Directive." Execution of the action is performed by active participants.

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HOLD

Hold is followed by the Directive: "In Your Room or Area" and is the protocol used when hallways need to kept clear of occupants.

Example: There is a medical emergency on campus and we need everyone to stay in their area until first responders can clear the incident.

SECURE

Secure is followed by the Directive: "Get Inside. Lock Outside Doors" and is the protocol used to safeguard people within the building.

Example: There is law enforcement action in the surrounding neighborhood or at a school down the street.

LOCKDOWN

Lockdown is followed by "Locks, Lights, Out of Sight" and is the protocol used to secure individual rooms and keep occupants quiet and in place.

Example: There is an intruder inside the campus.

EVACUATE

Evacuate and may be followed by a location, and is used to move people from one location to a different location in or out of the building.

Example: There is a fire or gas leak inside the building.

SHELTER

Shelter State the Hazard and Safety Strategy for group and self protection.

Example: There are tornados in the area.