I blew it - volunteering/no police check :(

[EllasMum]

This is a whine. A BIG one. :(

Way back at the beginning of the school year, the police check forms (for volunteering at school) came home. I work OTH, so figured I would probably not have the chance to volunteer, and didn't submit the police check forms. Fast forward to about 2 months later, and a notice about seasonal nature walks came home asking for volunteers. I completely forgot that I did not complete the police check and went ahead and volunteered for the spring nature walk. Forgot all about it again until a month or so ago when I realized that the walk should be coming up. I even sent a message to DD's teacher asking if she still needed me to volunteer - she did. DD got *very* excited - she has been asking me to volunteer for months but my work schedule rarely allows it unless I know months in advance. DD has talked about nothing other than the nature walk and how she will get to be in my group, etc etc etc. I didn't clue in until today - less than a week before the walk - that I didn't have the clearance done. :( I haven't broken the news to DD yet. She is going to be so sad. There is a slim, slim chance that my police clearance from last year might still be valid - I know sometimes they are valid for 2 years. Fingers crossed, but I'm not optimistic.

Grr. I'm so mad at myself for not just filling out the frackin' police clearance form back in September! :duh::mad:

Thanks for listening. Sigh.

[hillview]

argh so sorry!

[oneplustwo]

I'm so sorry to hear that, and hope it works out for you at the last minute!

[Still-in-Shock]

Can you go on the walk as an observer and not as a primary volunteer without a clearance?

If you turn in the paperwork tomorrow, can you request a quick turnaround? (I'm thinking that for the volunteers needed in the beginning of the school year, they might do that anyway?)

Is there another volunteer opportunity that you can line up before the end of the year?

[TwinFoxes]

That sucks. I hope it works out.

[kristenk]

I know that some parents at DD's school have gone on field trips even without having their background checks completed. They just can't act as chaperones. So, instead of having a group of 2-3 kids, their child will be in a group with another chaperone and the parent will just accompany their child. I don't know if that makes sense or not.

I hope it works out for you!

[buddyleebaby]

I'm sorry.

Any chance there is an online option?

[kellyd]

Ugh... I'm sorry!!! Maybe check w/ the school. At our schools as long as there isn't a full years lapse between clearances and volunteering you don't have to have them redone. So I'll get mine this summer and as long as I volunteer every year they don't have to be redone. BUT If I get them this year and don't volunteer next year I'll have to have them redone the following year. They don't always tell the parents that though because it's easier to have them redone every year.

[ett]

Definitely check with the school. At ours, the background check is valid for 2 years.

[o_mom]

Ours are valid for 5 years and they usually come back within a week. If you can do them online, you might still get cleared! I hope it works for you.

[randomkid]

Ours are valid for 5 years and they usually come back within a week. If you can do them online, you might still get cleared! I hope it works for you.

Same here -valid for 5 years. We used to be able to go on trips as a tag-along (not as a chaperone) without the background check, but as of this year, you have to have it for anything. I think they were having a hard time on trips knowing who had been checked and who hadn't. This became an issue when someone needed to take kids to the bathroom. Now, everyone has to have a check to do anything at or away from school.

Good Luck! I hope yours is still valid.

[EllasMum]

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone. Turns out, this b*tch has a happy ending! I did call the school and, to my shock, the secretary said my police clearance is good until January 2015! I am guessing this must be one I completed last year and that it is good for a few years because I am 99% sure I did not complete one this year. So, I will get to volunteer, and am looking forward to it. Yay - tromping through a (local) forest with 40 7 and 8 year olds. :D

[Still-in-Shock]

YAY!!! Happy Mother's Day. :)