Volunteer Approval Guidelines
Purpose:
The document will guide the approval process for individuals wishing to volunteer at Splendora Independent School District (SISD).
Procedure For Volunteer Approval:
Each person must be approved by the Office of the Director of Communications prior to volunteering at a school building, event, field trip, or any other related SISD activity. Volunteers work within the school programs by interacting with teachers and students.
- Submit the completed volunteer application online.
- By signing the Raptor online application, you give SISD written consent to run a criminal history check using your name and other identifiers.
- Approved volunteers will be listed on a master volunteer list, which can be accessed by every campus through Raptor Technologies.
- Volunteers must receive approval every school year. The previous year’s volunteer application will expire on July 31st of each year, and the last day to complete an application for the current year is April 30th.
- NOTE: Due to the high volume of approvals, SISD recommends submitting forms at least two weeks prior to the event for which you wish to volunteer.
Approval Guidelines:
Pursuant to the Texas Education Code and Splendora ISD Board Policy GKG, Splendora ISD conducts criminal history/background checks on all school volunteers, including parents of Splendora ISD students, before they are allowed to volunteer at a school building, event, field trip, or any other related Splendora ISD activity.
Under Texas Education Code 22.0835(c), all volunteer applicants must provide a copy of a valid driver’s license or other government-issued photo ID to the district when completing their volunteer application.
A volunteer applicant will be denied the opportunity to volunteer at SISD if they have been convicted of one of the following non-reviewable offenses, as listed in Texas Penal Code Title 5 (Crimes Against the Person), or a conviction requiring registration as a sex offender.
- Criminal Homicide
- Capital Murder
- Public Lewdness
- Injury to a Child
- Aggravated Sexual Assault
- Indecency with a Child
- Abandoning or Endangering a Child
- Sale or Purchase of a Child
- Kidnapping and False Imprisonment
- Prohibited Sexual Conduct
- Murder
- Rape
- Sexual Assault
- Arson
- Robbery
- Obscenity
A volunteer applicant may be denied if they meet the following criteria:
- Prior conviction or deferred adjudication of any felony offense;
- Prior conviction or deferred adjudication of any offense (felony or misdemeanor) involving drugs or drug paraphernalia;
- Prior conviction or deferred adjudication of a misdemeanor offense within the last five years involving moral turpitude (acts that are generally considered morally or ethically wrong), including, but not limited to, crimes that involve dishonesty, fraud, deceit, misrepresentation, or deliberate violence;
- Failure to disclose prior convictions or arrests on the volunteer application and/or provide additional requested information regarding any offense(s).
Splendora ISD will consider the following factors when circumstances require discretionary judgment:
- Possibility of incorrect identity: Applicant may provide evidence to support his/her identity to clear any misidentification at the expense of the applicant;
- Nature of the offense: age of applicant at time of offense; length of time since offense occurred;
- Number and nature of offenses since the disqualifying offense: a clear record of 10 years or more may indicate remediation;
- Period of probation completed, with no infractions;
- Dismissed charges may be disregarded;
- Any other factor within the District’s discretion relevant to the applicant’s suitability for working with students;
- Type of volunteer work to be performed.
If you feel you were wrongly denied the opportunity to volunteer for SISD, please contact:
Lisa Foster, SISD Community Education and Communications Coordinator
Email: lfoster@splendoraisd.org
Office Phone: 281-689-4358
Revised: July 31, 2025