Family Service Hours

All families are asked to donate 26 volunteer hours to Trinity Lutheran School. The categories in which families can earn hours vary. A list of approved activities is available in the school office. All volunteers that work with or around the students are required to have a background check completed annually. Drivers must undergo an additional driving record check. Both checks must be completed before volunteer work may begin. The fees associated with these checks for 1 member of each family will be paid by the school. Additional volunteers are responsible for the fees. Volunteer - $10  Volunteer/Driver - $28. A running list of approved volunteers/drivers will be maintained by the school office.

• Volunteers are expected to be free of any convictions of child abuse (sexual, physical, and/or emotional).
• Volunteers are expected to sign in each time they provide service at school.
• Volunteers are expected to observe the practice of “two adults per child” at all times so that no one is alone with a child or the children. (The “two adults per child” includes the teacher supervising a volunteer).
• Volunteers are expected to report immediately to the supervising teacher, and/or the administrator, any observed inappropriate or abusive behavior. 
• Volunteers are expected to discuss only with the supervising teacher or the administrator any situations that occur which are observed.  Other volunteers or parents are NOT to be informed of these situations.  Strict confidentiality is important in order to establish an atmosphere of trust.
• Volunteers, who are not feeling well, are expected to excuse themselves from working with the children until they are feeling better.
• Volunteers are expected to call the school office or the teacher when they are unable to make their volunteer times.
• Volunteers are expected to clarify their next scheduled visit time before leaving the school
• Scheduled volunteers are subject to background checks.  It is the policy of Trinity Lutheran School that all volunteers are required to have background checks.
• Scheduled volunteer names are annually shared with the Board of Education.

Be Informed - Physical and Behavioral Indicators of Child Abuse

• Bruises and welts in unusual patterns reflecting the shape of the article used (i.e., electric cord, belt buckle, or in clusters indicating repeated contact.
• Bruises on an infant, especially facial bruises.
• Cigarette burns, especially on the soles, palms, back, or buttocks.
• Burns – patterned like an electric element, iron, or utensil.
• Rope burns on arms, legs, neck, or torso.
• Bite marks.
• Loss of hair.
• Fractures of the skull, nose, ribs, or facial structure in various stages of healing; multiple or spiral fractures.
• Difficulty in walking or sitting.
• Subdural hematomas, retinal hemorrhages, internal injuries.
• Pain or itching in the genital area
• Venereal disease, especially in pre-teens.
• Pregnancy.
• Consistent hunger, poor hygiene, or inappropriate dress.
• Consistent lack of supervision; abandonment.
• Unattended physical or emotional problems or medical needs.
• Speech disorders, lags in physical development, ulcers.
• Lacerations or abrasions to the mouth, lips, gums, eyes, or external genitalia.
• Asthma, severe allergies, or failure to thrive.
• Torn, stained, or bloody underclothing.
• Bruises, bleeding, or infection in the external genitalia, vaginal, or anal areas.
• Frequent urinary or yeast infections.
• Substance abuse – alcohol or drugs.
• Unexplained (or multiple history for) bruises, burns, or fractures.
• Positive test for presence of illegal drugs in the child’s body.

• Overly complaint, passive, undemanding behavior; apathy.
• Extreme aggression, rage, to hyperactivity.
• Poor self-esteem, self-devaluation, lack of confidence or self-destructive behavior.
• Afraid to go home; frightened of parents.
• Alcohol or drug abuse.
• Delinquent, runaway, or truant behavior
• Poor peer relationships; shunned by peers.
• Unusual interest in or knowledge of sexual matters, expressing affection in inappropriate ways.
• Lack of emotional control, withdrawal, chronic depression, hysteria, fantasy, or infantile behavior.
• Excessive seductiveness or promiscuity.
• Suicide attempts.
• Destructive, antisocial, or neurotic histories for a given injury.

• Who Is A Mandated Reporter? All employees of a school are mandated reporters. All school volunteers who volunteer with direct contact with children are mandated reporters.