Families, alumni, business and community partners, and members of the public who want to help strengthen bonds with schools across the county as part of the new #BePresent initiative can now indicate their interest, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Mark Bedell announced.
Those interested in taking part can send an email to [email protected]. The email should include the school in which the sender is interested in volunteering, as well as available times and pertinent contact information.
Members of the team working on the initiative will collect that data and match it to the needs of schools that principals have conveyed. Those who will be volunteering at schools will then be given instructions for training and any necessary background checks. Both are cost-free for participants.
“No school system can be great without strong bonds between students, staff, and the community the schools serve,” said Dr. Bedell, who introduced announced the initiative last month. “Without a doubt, this school district can be great. We need our community to rally around our students to help keep them safe and to build relationships that are so critical to success.”
In addition to strengthening community connections with schools, #BePresent aims to help students feel more safe and supported and provide school administrators with additional sets of eyes and ears in hallways and cafeterias. Volunteers will work in collaboration with and at the direction of school administrators and will not be present in classrooms or asked to deliver instruction. They will be able to begin in schools once they complete the training and background check.
