Dear Prospective School Volunteer,
RE: Online Criminal Record Check Process for School Volunteers, Volunteer Registration Form & Volunteer Transportation of Students
Thank you, on behalf of Coast Mountains School District 82, for supporting your school and the school district through your volunteerism. It is with your support that district schools are able to expand curricular and extra-curricular opportunities for children.
The Criminal Record Review Act ensures that people who may potentially have unsupervised access to children or vulnerable adults undergo a criminal record check by the Criminal Records Review Program (CRRP). A person whose criminal record suggests they present a risk of physical or sexual abuse to children or a risk of physical, sexual or financial abuse to vulnerable adults will not have access to these groups.
The Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General, through their CRRP will conduct a criminal record check including identity verification and a vulnerable sector check at no cost to you through a streamlined online format. Once you are provided clearance through the CRRP, the criminal record check clearance is good for period of five (5) consecutive years from the date of issue, unless a criminal offence should occur.
We must inform you that if you happen to have the same combination of gender and date of birth as a known sex offender whose record has been suspended, you must then be fingerprinted to confirm your identify. This is a federal RCMP requirement that applies to all Canadians. Most people who are fingerprinted in a vulnerable sector check do not have a sexual offence record; however, fingerprinting is necessary to eliminate the possibility that an offender has changed their name in order to pass a criminal record check. Therefore, if you happen to have the same combination of gender and date of birth as a known sex offender, you will receive a letter from the CRRP informing you that your fingerprints are required. The letter will include forms and instructions on what to do. You will be required to visit your local police agency for fingerprinting. Your fingerprints will then be submitted to the RCMP’s Canadian Criminal Real Time Identification Services to confirm whether or not they match those of a person with a record suspension for sexual offence. The fee for this process will be your responsibility.
By completing the online application you agree to the terms and conditions for the CRRP Applicant Based Online Service to facilitate a criminal record check and to share the completed criminal record check information with Coast Mountains School District 82.
Please use the following web address to complete and submit the form for your criminal record check to become a school volunteer: https://justice.gov.bc.ca/eCRC/home.htm. You will be prompted for the school’s access code which is as follows: Access Code: _________ (school to insert once Access Code is received from Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General).
Once you have completed and submitted the form for the online criminal record check, please provide your school principal with confirmation of your online application including your full name and date of birth. Your results, once approved will be added to the Nechako Elementary School database of volunteers. The school principal will then inform you of your approved criminal record check. Please note there is a sharing form provided by the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General which the volunteer can complete in order to share their criminal record results with another organization (i.e. if the volunteer has a child at a different school). Kindly consult with the school principal for assistance.
In addition to the completion of a Criminal Record Check, all volunteers must complete the attached Volunteer Registration Form. An important element of the Volunteer Program is acknowledgement by the volunteer that they have been made aware of the expectations and guidelines of the Volunteer Program in the school. This form will be held for two years from date of completion. As outlined in the Volunteer Registration Form, it is your responsibility to inform the school principal if you are charged with a criminal offence during the course of volunteering. The volunteer must immediately notify the school principal of all charges laid, excluding minor traffic offences.
Volunteers who intend to transport students are also required to provide the school with an up-to-date Driver’s Abstract (available through a BC Access Centre or any ICBC driver licensing office), a Volunteer Driver Declaration and Proof of Vehicle Insurance (copy of volunteer applicant’s vehicle insurance insured with a minimum Third Party Liability Insurance of $1,000.000). The applicant of the Driver’s Abstract must present the BC Access Centre or the ICBC driver licensing office with one piece of current government-issued photo identification and one piece of identification verifying name and date of birth. The applicant will receive a telephone call when the Driver’s Abstract is complete. This document must be picked up by the applicant and delivered to the school.
Additional information about the CRRP is available on their website at http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/crime-prevention/criminal-record-check or by contacting a client services representative at 1-855-587-0185 (press option 2).
Volunteers play an important role in Coast Mountains School District 82. The school district encourages and promotes the use of volunteers in order to expand and enhance parental and community involvement within its schools while maintaining safety and security for students and staff. Once again, on behalf of Coast Mountains School District 82, thank you for your volunteerism.
Should you have further questions or require additional information, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Yours truly, David Mills
School Principal
Attachments