Existing law requires each volunteer at a public school, including a charter school or university school for profoundly gifted pupils, and a private school who is likely to have unsupervised contact with pupils to submit his or her fingerprints to the governing body of a charter school or university school for profoundly gifted pupils, the administrator of the private school or the board of trustees of the school district, as applicable, for the purposes of a criminal background check before beginning his or her service as a volunteer and at least once every 5 years thereafter. (NRS 388A.515, 388C.200, 391.104, 394.155) Existing law defines the term “volunteer” to mean any person who, without compensation, works at, assists with or oversees any activity or event conducted or sponsored by the school during or outside of school hours. (NRS 388A.510, 388C.190, 391.1035, 394.154) Existing law authorizes the board of trustees of a school district or the governing body of a charter school to offer a work-based learning program upon application to and with the approval of the State Board of Education. Under existing law, a work-based learning program must include certain requirements to receive approval from the State Board to offer a work-based learning program. (NRS 389.167) Section 1.5 of this bill requires a work-based learning program to additionally include a requirement that each pupil participating in the work-based learning program complete training on: (1) identifying and reporting harassment in the workplace; (2) developing and maintaining healthy relationships in the workplace; and (3) identifying the signs of certain predatory behavior. Section 2 of this bill requires the Department of Education to prescribe by regulation a method for the board of trustees of a school district to: (1) examine a business, agency or organization seeking to participate in a work-based learning program; and (2) determine if the employment and supervision of a pupil by the business, agency or organization would be appropriate. If the board of trustees of a school district determines the employment and supervision of a pupil in a work-based learning program by the business, agency or organization is appropriate, section 2 authorizes a board of trustees of a school district to exempt a volunteer employed by the business, agency or organization from submitting his or her fingerprints for the purposes of a criminal background check. Section 5 of this bill makes a conforming change to specifically exempt such a volunteer from submitting his or her fingerprints for the purposes of a criminal background check. Section 3 of this bill makes a conforming change to indicate the proper placement of section 2 in the Nevada Revised Statutes. Sections 1 and 4 of this bill revise the definition of the term “volunteer” for the purposes of public schools to exclude an employee of a business, agency or organization that participates in a work-based learning program, other than an employee who directly oversees the participation of or has unsupervised contact with a pupil in the work-based learning program.

Statutes affected:
As Introduced: 388A.510, 391.1025, 391.1035, 391.104
Reprint 1: 388A.510, 389.167, 391.1025, 391.1035, 391.104
Reprint 2: 388A.510, 389.167, 391.1025, 391.1035, 391.104
As Enrolled: 388A.510, 389.167, 391.1025, 391.1035, 391.104
BDR: 388A.510, 391.1025, 391.1035, 391.104