Dear Windsor Unified School District Families:
Following concern expressed by the community, we wanted to clarify the policy regarding the fingerprinting of volunteers, as well as provide additional resources for those interested.
In 2022, the California legislature passed AB 506 which was designed to increase protections for minors. This bill included requirements for fingerprinting as well as training for adult volunteers working with minors. One of our schools, Cali Calmecac was already following the protocols laid out in the new legislation — in fact their requirements were slightly higher than the state’s — and had been doing so for many years. Our other elementary schools, Mattie Washburn and Brooks Elementary, were following our board policy.
This board policy was much more limited, centered primarily only on those volunteers who would be alone with students. In consultation with our legal team regarding the new legislation and how we should apply it, they stated the following, “...limiting the check to only those volunteers who are alone with students is too narrow. Unfortunately, we know that perpetrators seek access to students and can often establish inappropriate relationships with students even in the presence of other adults. They seek to use the school as an access point for establishing the relationship, not necessarily as a site to commit an offense against a child (which often occurs elsewhere).”
Based on this guidance from our legal representatives, and simply thinking through how we can best ensure the safety of our students, it was decided that a policy that mirrors what is already in place at Cali Calmecac would be implemented at our other school locations. This is what prompted the fingerprinting/background checks for all volunteers. The motivation was to first and foremost, protect the safety of students, and secondarily to be compliant with legal best practices and associated statutes.
That is the background on how the policy came to be. Now, here’s the mea culpa. In recent years, multiple fingerprinting/LiveScan agencies have come and gone. In fact all of the agencies previously utilized by the District have gone out of business, and we have had to scramble to get employees taken care of. The Sonoma County Office of Education (SCOE) even suspended their own program, which had serviced many of our employees in the past. So when an agency presented itself and was willing to meet our Mattie Washburn families and assist them at Back To School night, it seemed like a great idea.
Unfortunately, the roll out didn’t go as smoothly as we had hoped. Families felt surprised by the information and the cost, and disinformation was being spread from various quarters/directions regarding what could and couldn’t be done, as well as who needed to be fingerprinted and/or who had to conduct the fingerprinting. We’ll own that piece of the issue, though we continue to hold firm to the policy of requiring volunteers to be fingerprinted which will only enhance the safety of our students.
To be clear, here is both the policy and the resources/options for families:
ALL volunteers must be fingerprinted and undergo the LiveScan background check through the FBI and DOJ. Just fingerprints are not acceptable, it must be the LiveScan. The necessary form can be picked up at your school site office. You cannot transfer your LiveScan results and fingerprints from another agency (such as if you are law enforcement) as that is a violation of state law.
Any agency MUST have a contract with WUSD, otherwise the results will not be sent directly to us, which makes them invalid. The reason it makes them invalid, is that by having a contracted agency do the work, we then get a lifetime of reporting. In other words, if a person who has a clean check now, does something disqualifying in the future, the contracted agency will be able to notify the District of the change in status. If only the snapshot “point in time” results are turned in, then no future tracking can occur. At this time, there are only two agencies that are contracted with the District, SCOE and Sonoma ProScan LiveScan. Please note, LiveScan results will be good for the length of time you are with the District, and will not need to be repeated. This process is a “one and done.”
SCOE:
We have just determined that SCOE is doing fingerprinting again. It is by appointment only, they are not taking walk-ins, and the current wait time is about two weeks.
DOJ & FBI fee = $47
SCOE Rolling Fee: $15 (They offer 1/2 off to parent/guardian volunteers within our district, it's normally $30)
Total fee: $62
SCOE accepts Visa, MC, AMEX and Checks for payment. Please contact the Fingerprint Technician at (707) 524-2812 to make an appointment.
Sonoma ProScan Livescan
Rolling Fee: $35
DOJ/FBI Fee: $47
Total Fee: $82
To schedule an appointment: 707-837-6947 or sonomaproscan@gmail.com
We understand that the cost may be prohibitive for some families, and it is not our intention to prevent any family member from volunteering. As a District, we will be looking into possibilities for grants, scholarships, and/or programs that could help defray, or even eliminate, these costs for families in need. While we don’t have an answer to this yet, please stay tuned as we explore options. We want to be clear that we want all of our families to engage in the school that their child attends. We welcome and appreciate those individuals who are willing to volunteer in our classrooms. We simply need to make sure that everyone who comes in contact with our students has had their background check done as students safety always needs to be our number one priority.
Thank you for your understanding and for being part of our community.
Jeremy Decker
Superintendent
Windsor Unified School District
Additional settings for Safari Browser.
