SUPPORTING
Our Students

Any person who volunteers around our students, during the school day or otherwise on our school grounds or off-site, must be approved to do so.

If you would like to volunteer for the district, visit any KHPS building with proper identification (MI Driver’s License) to fill out a form and have your ID photocopied. This form is an agreement–it allows us to run an ICHAT (free background check service through the Michigan State Police), and it will confirm whether or not the volunteer has had any convictions or guilty pleas to a misdemeanor or felony. Ideally, the form should be filled out a week before any scheduled volunteering as it can take up to one week for proper consideration and approval.

Anyone receiving payment from the district to coach a sport (any/all compensation) must have a more thorough background check before coaching students. This is done through the HR Department, by appointment only. Please call or email Jessica Chivell to set an appointment. There is a fee for this background check, which is to be paid by the employee. Again, please allow at least a week for this process before coaching begins.

Jessica Chivell
jchivell@khps.org
616-784-2511 ext. 2208

All of the Elementary Schools welcome adults to spend time helping in the lunch room or playground, reading with learners, etc. Contact your school secretary to let them know your availability and they can assist in getting a routine or one-time assistance scheduled.

Each Elementary School has either a PTO or a Parent Council. These organizations almost always have opportunities to volunteer and are very frequently in need of more people to help. Times that they need the most help include:

• Field Day

• Carnival

• School Dances

• Parent–Teacher Conferences

• Alpine PTO
• Central PTO
• Zinser PTO

At the Middle School and High School, there isn't an official PTO, but there are several groups that regularly need volunteers:

• Athletic Boosters

• Instrumental Boosters

  • Marching Knights

  • KH Orchestra

• 6th Grade Camp Organizers

• The Washington DC Trip Supporters

• The Senior All-Knight Party Planning Committee

There are several organizations that are not affiliated with the School that do tremendous work in the District, and welcome volunteers:

• Kenowa Hills Education Foundation

• Kids Hope USA

• Kiwanis

• Comstock Park Rotary

• KDL

All fundraisers must be approved at both the building level, and then by the Superintendent. The district has many operating organizations, and to ensure that all of them have the best possible earning capacity, we want to make sure that there are no duplicate, or competing fundraisers. We also ensure full transparency at all times, regarding how profits will be determined for any fundraiser. Every organization must request this transparency from their participation vendor so that there is no mistaking how a profit will be determined, and the terms which mandate payment. Providing a copy of the contract or agreement is part of this application process.

For each fundraiser, please allow at least one week for approval. Please submit your form and copy of agreement/contract to a building administrator for their approval (Principal, Assistant Principal, or Athletic Director for sports groups). Once building approval and signature is obtained, please forward the request form and contract/agreement to Julie Lanka for Superintendent Hopkins’ approval. (jlanka@khps.org or in person at the Administration building: 2325 4 Mile Rd.)

For any fundraiser that takes place on school grounds, please see the Facilities Use section below to ensure you have prior approval to use KHPS Facilities.

Any time that a group wants to meet on school grounds, they must submit a request to GoFMX.com. GoFMX can be accessed at KHPS.org: click About Us, then choose Facilities. Users must create a Staff or Community Member log-in to proceed. Then, users will be asked to sign a waiver and provide proof of liability insurance. The District Insurance covers events for school-related groups, but participation waivers may be required in some instances. Any events in the high school gym need to be approved by Ross Willick and any events in the middle school gym need to be approved by Eric Haik prior to requesting through GoFMX.

This process is crucial to ensure that a space isn’t already being used and that we have proper staff to maintain the area, and insurance to cover the event. Once your group is approved to use District Facilities, consideration for the request will be determined based on other events scheduled in that building at the time. Approval can take up to a week, so please submit your request several weeks in advance if possible.

The contact for GoFMX is Julie Lanka. She can be reached at jlanka@khps.org or by phone at 616-784-2511.