Volunteering
Volunteering at St. Francis of Assisi School
All parents are encourage to volunteer their time and talents inasmuch as their schedule allows. We welcome everyone in the community to contribute to our school mission!
Thank you for your interest in serving as a volunteer at SFA. As you know, St. Francis of Assisi School and the Archdiocese of Baltimore have a commitment to maintaining the trust of the faithful by providing our children and youth with safe environments characterized by healthy relationships. With our longstanding commitment in mind, all parishes and Archdiocesan Catholic Schools use VIRTUS, a compliance management system that allows all parishes and schools to facilitate compliance with Archdiocesan child protection requirements for all volunteers who work with minors, employees, and clergy. VIRTUS is utilized by more than 90 dioceses across the country, and they have worked with the Archdiocese of Baltimore Office of Child & Youth Protection to customize training tailored to our policies and to Maryland law.
All those who wish to work or volunteer in our school must be appropriately screened and trained and provide three written references to the school. All who wish to do so must go to virtusonline.org. You will register by clicking “First-Time Registrant.” Select: “Begin the registration process,” and then “Baltimore Archdiocese.” You will create a login-ID and password.
Anyone wishing to enter our school to evaluate, test, visit, observe and/or work with our students MUST have VIRTUS compliance. This can be found and completed via virtusonline.org.
A compliance with substantial contact with children must be completed before working with our students.
Thank you for your service to our Church and especially for your commitment to the children and youth.
In an effort to maintain our average of 60 events each year, each family is required to give a minimum of 20 service hours to the school in addition to participating in the school’s two major fundraisers, which include the “Turkey Dinner” in the fall and “Race for Education” in the spring. Each family will start off with a charge on their FACTS account in the amount of $400 ($20 for every 1 hour) in July of every year. As the family completes volunteer service hours it will be credited to the FACTS account. In May of each year a final charge equivalent to the hours will be posted to your FACTS account, with the hopes of every family having $0.
Driving
Parents who wish drive as chaperones and intend to transport children other than their own must be separately cleared as a driver. A driving record check in conducted in addition to the background check and references conducted by VIRTUS.
Returning Volunteers
As of November 1, 2017, Shield the Vulnerable is no longer in use. Volunteers, who created an account on Shield the Vulnerable between September 1, 2014 and October 31, 2017, are NOT required to register a new account on VIRTUS – your existing record will transfer to VIRTUS. No action is required by you at this time.
New Volunteers
New Volunteers must register an account on VIRTUS, consent to a background check, complete Protecting God’s Children 3.2 training, and submit three (3) completed Electronic Volunteer Reference Check Forms. For the 2023-2024 school year, this must be completed by September 30, 2023!!!
To access instructions for registering on VIRTUS and completing additional online requirements please click on the button below.
To access the Electronic Volunteer Reference Check Form please click on the button below.
The reference check form is intended to be completed electronically by entering the appropriate information in each field. Please provide the reference check form to each of your three (3) references – references must be at least 18 years of age. Family members, friends, co-workers, neighbors, etc. may serve as a reference contact. Please submit completed forms to Sharon Foley at foleys@sfa-school.org. Or, completed forms may be mailed to:
St. Francis of Assisi School
Attn: Sharon Foley
3617 Harford Rd
Baltimore, MD 21218