This portal is designed to assist you in registering to be a Supervised Volunteer with the Fulton County School District. Per Board Policy, all volunteers who will be working with students at the school must complete a Volunteer Registration Application on a bi-annual basis. Furthermore, school volunteers are mandated reporters of abuse pursuant to OCGA 19-7-5. Every Supervised Volunteer must complete the Child Abuse Reporting Protocol training and have an active approval status in the volunteer registration system (Checkmate) before they begin volunteering at each school. Volunteer registrations expire two years from the date of approval. Any previous volunteer in the district must complete the Child Abuse Training and complete a new application when their volunteer registration has expired. If you are volunteering at multiple locations, add each location to your Checkmate application. Each school will be responsible for the approval status individually. All applicants must wait 24 hours after applying for application processing. Applicants should be prepared to spend about 10-15 minutes on the training and application process. It is very important that volunteers enter their full legal name as it appears on government issued ID. Please do not use nicknames or goes by names on the application.
A Supervised School Volunteer is a non-paid individual who contributes their time and effort to actively supporting school functions under the direct supervision and guidance of school staff. The category of Supervised Volunteer includes, but is not limited to, one who performs duties that an employee could perform, such as making copies, filing, sorting, assisting with lunch duty, media center or front office tasks, and school day field trips. At no time should a Supervised Volunteer be left alone and unobserved with an individual student in a private or secluded area such as an office or classroom. However, persons operating in an official capacity, such as a court-appointed advocate, who provides proper identification and has parental or guardian permission, may meet privately with students without being observed.
Administration Building
6201 Powers Ferry Rd NW
Atlanta, GA 30339
Monday – Friday
8:00 am – 3:00 pm
Flat Shoals Center
4025 Flat Shoals Rd
Union City, GA 30291
Monday ONLY
8:30 am – 3:30 pm
The Badging Department is open year round; however, along with the FCS district, we will be closed on the following days:
July 4, 2024 - Independence Day
September 2, 2024 - Labor Day
October 14-15, 2024 - Fall Break
November 25-29, 2024 - Thanksgiving Holidays
Dec. 23, 2024 – Jan. 3, 2025 - Winter Break
January 20, 2025 - M.L.King Jr. Holiday
February 17, 2025 - Presidents' Day
April 7-11, 2025 - Spring Break
May 26, 2025 - Memorial Day
June 19, 2025 - Juneteenth Holiday
The following information is provided to help school administrators, faculty, staff and parents understand changes in the policies affecting school volunteers and field trips. These policy revisions were made to address parent and community concerns regarding student safety during and after the school day.
Per Board Policy IFCD, all volunteers who will be working with students of the school must complete a Volunteer Registration Application on an bi-annual basis. Furthermore, school volunteers are mandated reporters of abuse pursuant to OCGA 19-7-5.
All persons interested in volunteering in the Fulton County School District must complete an application every two years. Even if a person has completed an application in the past. To keep in compliance with State Law and best practices, we will require everyone to re-register/register every two years based on the following volunteer service periods.
Volunteer Service Periods:
June 2022 thru May 2024
June 2024 thru May 2026
The registration process can be found on the FCS District Website under Community/Partners and Volunteers. In accordance with State Law, all volunteers must be current with the Child Abuse Reporting Protocol Training before being allowed to volunteer in our schools. All applicants must wait 24 hours after applying for application processing. Applicants should be prepared to spend about 10-15 minutes for the training and application process. It is very important that volunteers enter their full legal name as it appears on government issued ID. Please do not use nicknames or goes by names on the application.
A visitor to the school is a parent/guardian or an individual with official business approved by the school for a single, specific purpose. A school visitor has supervised access to students. The category of visitor includes, but is not limited to, lunch with a student, a parent/teacher conference, 504/IEP meetings, class visits (such as reading to the class), community partner presentation, school wide or classroom programs and special events.
A supervised school volunteer is an individual who contributes their time and effort to actively supporting school functions under the direct supervision and guidance of school staff. The category of supervised school volunteer includes, but is not limited to, one who performs duties that an employee could perform, such as making copies, filing, sorting, assisting with lunch duty, media center or front office tasks, and school day field trip chaperons. At no time should a supervised school volunteer be left alone and unobserved with an individual student in a private or secluded area such as an office or classroom. However, persons operating in an official capacity, such as a court-appointed advocate, who provides proper identification and has parental or guardian permission, may meet privately with students without being observed.
An unsupervised school volunteer is an individual who performs their volunteer duties without direct supervision from school staff. Unsupervised volunteers may work independently, without staff presence. The category of unsupervised volunteer includes, but is not limited to, contractors, community coaches, student teachers/interns, tutors, mentors, SGC members, PTO/PTS/PTSA board members, after-school enrichment programs, extracurricular activity and club sponsors, and overnight field trip chaperons. Because they have direct, potentially unobserved contact with students, unsupervised volunteers must undergo a background check to ensure the safety and security of the school environment and its students, according to O.C.G.A § 353-34.2.
To begin the volunteer process, determine which type of volunteer you will be and click that page to complete that process. Both types of volunteers and all contractors require completion of the Child Abuse Reporting Protocol training and online volunteer registration application in Checkmate. When completing all registrations, you must use your legal name as it appears on your government identification, not a nickname. All unsupervised volunteers and contractors must also complete the Unsupervised Volunteer Waiver (NCPA/VCA) and background check registration. On your first visit to the school, government identification will be required for both types of volunteers as well.
No. House Bill 1176 was signed by Governor Deal on May 2, 2012. This Bill revised OCGA 19-7-5 requiring all school affiliated volunteers to become "mandated reporters" of suspected child abuse. Fulton County Schools is simply complying with a state law.
No. A school visitor does not need to complete the registration process. However, all visitors are subject to a sex offender database search upon each visit.
No. When completing the volunteer registration application in Checkmate, add each school where you will be volunteering. Each school will handle the registration approvals for that individual school. You will need to check in at the front desk as a new volunteer when you enter each of the schools for the first time. The badging office does not approve or decline volunteer registration applications.
Not necessarily. The questions during the registration process are very specific about past felony offenses. If you answer "yes" to any of the questions, you’re required to contact the Department of Safety & Security for additional screening prior to volunteering in any capacity. These offenses will be reviewed on a case by case basis. Individuals on the GBI registry will be automatically excluded from volunteer opportunities.
Yes. In accordance with OCGA 42-1-12, the GBI is the central repository for Georgia's Violent Sexual Offender Registry. You may visit their website for more information: https://gbi.georgia.gov/services/georgia-sex-offender-registry
Contact your local police department with any questions. The municipal law enforcement agency is tasked with investigating community concerns, not the school district.
Yes. To ensure the safety and confidentiality of students, the district limits volunteers to the parent/guardian of a current student, other family members of a current student at the request of the parent/guardian and individuals with official business approved in advance by the school principal and/or district. Refer to District Policy KM Visitors and Volunteers to Schools for more information. Limitations are also based on the completion of the unsupervised volunteer requirements. If those requirements have not been met, you will only be allowed to perform supervised volunteer duties.
Yes. Volunteers may assist students beyond the school day only upon the completion of the unsupervised volunteer requirements. A Fulton County Schools district issued badge for a contractor or unsupervised volunteer must be worn visibly for after-hours duties.