Each DCES family is required to donate a minimum of 15 hours of service (10 hours for a single parent) per academic year. For every service hour not completed, a $20 payment will be required by the last day of school.

Families are responsible for reporting their own service hours. The acceptable methods for reporting service hours are the DOVES Family Report Form and a Volunteer Sign In/Out book in the office. Please do not wait until the end of the school year to turn in your service hours!

DOVES Family Report Form

Our children are the most important gifts God has entrusted to us. A volunteer must strictly follow the rules and guidelines in this Code of Conduct for Volunteers as a condition of providing services to the children and youth of our archdiocese.

A volunteer must:

• Treat everyone with respect, loyalty, patience, integrity, courtesy, dignity and consideration.
• Avoid situations where he or she is alone with children and/or youth at Church activities.
• Use positive reinforcement rather than criticism, competition or comparison when working with
• children and/or youth.
• Refuse to accept expensive gifts from children, youth or their parents without prior written
• approval from the pastor or administrator.
• Refrain from giving expensive gifts to children and/or youth without prior written approval from
• the parents or guardian and the pastor or administrator.
• Report suspected abuse to the pastor, administrator or appropriate supervisor and the local Child
• Protection Services agency. Failure to report suspected abuse to civil authorities (by required
• reporters) is, according to the law, a misdemeanor.
• Cooperate fully in any investigation of abuse of children and/or youth.

A volunteer must not:

• Smoke or use tobacco products in the presence of children and/or youth.
• Use, possess or be under the influence of alcohol at any time while volunteering.
• Use, possess or be under the influence of illegal drugs at any time.
• Pose any health risk to children and/or youth through fevers or other contagious situations.
• Strike, spank, shake or slap children and/or youth.
• Humiliate, ridicule, threaten or degrade children and/or youth.
• Touch a child and/or youth in a sexual or other inappropriate manner.
• Use any discipline that frightens or humiliates children and/or youth.
• Use profanity in the presence of children and/or youth.

A volunteer working with children and/or youth is subject to a thorough background check, including criminal history. Complete a background check form and return to the school office. All information remains strictly confidential.

All volunteers are also required to attend a Protecting God’s Children workshop.