Los Angeles Leadership Academy
 
Classroom and School Volunteer, Visitation, and Removal Policy
 
While Los Angeles Leadership Academy (“LALA”) encourages parents/guardians and interested members of the community to visit the charter school and view the educational program, LALA also endeavors to create a safe environment for students and staff.  Additionally, parents volunteering in the classroom can be extremely helpful to our teachers and valuable to our students. We thank all parents for their willingness to volunteer in this manner.
 
Nevertheless, to ensure the safety of students and staff as well as to minimize interruption of the instructional program, LALA has established the following procedures, to facilitate volunteering and visitations during regular school days:
 
Volunteering
 
Parents or guardians who are interested in volunteering in the classroom must adhere to the following guidelines:

1. Volunteers who will volunteer outside of the direct supervision of a credentialed employee shall be (1) fingerprinted and (2) receive background clearance prior to volunteering without the direct supervision of a credentialed employee.  

 

1. A volunteer shall also have on file with LALA a certificate showing that, upon initial volunteer assignment, the person submitted to a tuberculosis risk assessment and, if tuberculosis risk factors were identified, was examined and found to be free of infectious tuberculosis.  If no risk factors are identified, an examination is not required.  At the discretion of the LALA Board of Directors, this paragraph shall not apply to a volunteer whose functions do not require frequent or prolonged contact with pupils.

 
3.         Volunteering must be arranged with the classroom teacher and Executive Director or designee, at least forty-eight (48) hours in advance.
 
4.         A volunteer may not volunteer in the classroom for more than three (3) hours per month.
 
5.         Prior to volunteering in the classroom, the volunteer should communicate with the teacher to discuss the expectations for volunteering needs. Classroom volunteers are there to benefit the entire class and are not in class solely for the benefit of their own child. Classroom volunteers must follow the instructions provided by the classroom teacher or aide. Classroom rules also apply to volunteers to ensure minimal distraction to the teacher. If a volunteer is uncomfortable following the direction of the teacher or aid the volunteer may leave their volunteer position for that day.
 
6.         Information gained by volunteers regarding students (e.g. academic performance or behavior) is to be maintained in strict confidentiality.
 
7.         Volunteers shall follow and be governed by all other guidelines indicated elsewhere in this Policy. This includes, but is not limited to, the process of registering and signing out of the campus at the main office as indicated below.
 
8.         This Policy does not authorize LALA to permit a parent/guardian to volunteer or visit the campus if doing so conflicts with a valid restraining order, protective order, or order for custody or visitation issued by a court of competent jurisdiction.
 
Visitation
1.         Visits during school hours should first be arranged with the teacher and Executive Director or designee, at least forty-eight (48) hours in advance. If a conference is desired, an appointment should be set with the teacher during non-instructional time, at least forty-eight (48) hours in advance. Parents seeking to visit a classroom during school hours must first obtain the approval of the classroom teacher and the Executive Director or designee.
2.         All visitors shall register in the Visitors Log Book and complete a Visitor’s Permit in the main office immediately upon entering any school building or grounds when during regular school hours. When registering, the visitor is required to provide his/her name, address, age (if under 21), his/her purpose for entering school grounds, and proof of identity.
3.         If the visitor is a government officer/official (including but not limited to local law enforcement officers, immigration enforcement officers, social workers, district attorneys, or U.S. attorneys) the officer/official will also be asked to produce any documentation that authorizes school access. LALA shall make reasonable efforts to notify parents or guardians prior to permitting a student to be interviewed or searched, consistent with the law and/or any court order, warrant or instructions from the officer/official.  A copy of the documentation provided by the officer and notes from the encounter may be maintained by LALA, consistent with the law.  The LALA Governing Board and Bureau of Children’s Justice in the California Department of Justice, at BCJ@doj.ca.gov, will be timely informed regarding any attempt by a law-enforcement officer to access a school site or a student for immigration-enforcement purposes, as recommended by the Attorney General.  
For purposes of school safety and security, the Executive Director or designee may design a visible means of identification for visitors while on school premises. 
4.         Except for unusual circumstances, approved by the Executive Director, LALA visits should not exceed approximately sixty (60) minutes in length and may not occur more than twice per semester.
5.         While on campus, visitors are to enter and leave classrooms as quietly as possible, not converse with any student, teacher, or other instructional assistant unless permitted, and not interfere with any school activity. No electronic listening or recording device may be used in a classroom without the teacher’s and Executive Director’s written permission.
6.         Before leaving campus, the visitor shall return the Visitor’s Permit and sign out of the Visitors Log Book in the main office.
7.         The Executive Director, or designee, may refuse to register a visitor or volunteer if it is believed that the presence of the visitor or volunteer would cause a threat of disruption or physical injury to teachers, other employees, or students.
8.         The Executive Director or designee may withdraw consent to be on campus even if the visitor has a right to be on campus whenever there is reason to believe that the person has willfully disrupted or is likely to disrupt LALA’s orderly operation. If consent is withdrawn by someone other than the Executive Director, the Executive Director may reinstate consent for the visitor if the Executive Director believes that the person’s presence will not constitute a disruption or substantial and material threat to LALA’s orderly operation. Consent can be withdrawn for up to fourteen (14) days.
9.         The Executive Director or designee may request that a visitor who has failed to register, or whose registration privileges have been denied or withdrawn, promptly leave school grounds. When a visitor is directed to leave, the Executive Director or designee shall inform the visitor that if he/she reenters the school without following the posted requirements he/she will be guilty of a misdemeanor. 
10.       Any visitor that is denied registration or has his/her registration revoked may request a conference with the Executive Director. The request shall be in writing, shall state why the denial or revocation was improper, shall give the address to which notice of conference is to be sent, and shall be delivered to the Executive Director with fourteen (14) days of the denial or revocation of consent. The Executive Director shall promptly mail a written notice of the date, time, and place of the conference to the person who requested the conference. A conference with the Executive Director shall be held within seven (7) days after the Executive Director receives the request. If no resolution can be agreed upon, the Executive Director shall forward notice of the complaint to the LALA Board of Directors. The LALA Board of Directors shall address the Complaint at the next regular board meeting and make a final determination.
11.       At each entrance to the campus, signs shall be posted specifying the hours during which registration is required, stating where the office of the Executive Director or designee is located, and what route to take to that office, and setting forth the penalties for violation of this policy.
12.       The Executive Director or designee shall seek the assistance of the police in managing or reporting any visitor in violation of this Policy.
 
Penalties
 

1. Pursuant to the California Penal Code, if a visitor does not leave after being asked or if the visitor returns without following the posted requirements after being directed to leave, he/she will be guilty of a crime as specified which is punishable by a fine of up to $500.00 (five hundred dollars) or imprisonment in the County jail for a period of up to six (6) months or both.

 

1. Under California Education Code section 44811, disruption by a parent, guardian or other person at a school or school sponsored activity is punishable, upon the first conviction by a fine or no less than $500.00 (five hundred dollars) and no more than $1,000.00 (one thousand dollars) or by imprisonment in a County jail for no more than one (1) year, or both the fine and imprisonment.

 

1. Disruptive conduct may lead to LALA’s pursuit of a restraining order against a visitor, which would prohibit him/her from coming onto school grounds or attending school activities for any purpose for a period of up to three (3) years.