JONESBORO — Clayton County Schools is looking to increase volunteerism throughout the system.
One of the ways the school system is looking to get more volunteers is a proposal for Clayton County Government to give its employees eight hours of leave time per year to volunteer.
Clayton County Schools Interim Director of Community and Employee Engagement Dr. Shanika Brown-Rice outlined the proposal to the County Commission during a May 9 work session.
She said an employee could volunteer at a school of their choice and serve in a number of capacities.
Some of the ways a volunteer can serve:
— Reading to a small group in elementary school.
— Cafeteria duty in middle or high school.
— Helping with field days.
— Chaperoning during field trips.
— Serving on CTAE advisory committees.
In order to volunteer, an individual would have to go through a background check, training, and end-of-the-year summary.
“We can be trailblazers in the metro Atlanta area showing other counties how to do it,” Brown-Rice said in her presentation.
She also added that there are about 425 teachers short throughout the district out of some 7,400 employees.
The county government has about 2,700 employees.
Brown-Rice cited studies that show volunteerism improves graduation rates, attendance, test scores while lower misbehavior.
The County Commission is expected to come back to the proposal in August.
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