Community stakeholders, parents, and students play an integral part in the educational development of our students and are vital to the success of our schools. The district recognizes and appreciates all volunteers who take the time to support our schools.

Last year, 5,000 volunteers donated 36,000 hours to our students. This represents over $1,000,000 worth of services donated by the community to our schools! (source: https://independentsector.org/value-of-volunteer-time-2022/)

If you would like to contribute your valuable time and skills to support our students and teachers, please consider volunteering by completing a FREE confidential volunteer application via RAPTOR Technologies, which provides Level I clearance to volunteers for the 2022/23 school year.

Volunteer Application - English
Volunteer Application - Spanish

All volunteers must read the Volunteer Connection Information Guide before volunteering.

After completing the confidential application, you will receive an email from donotreply@raptortech.com. The email will confirm the application was received and is currently under review. If approved, you will receive an email titled "Volunteer Approval Application." Once approved, all volunteers must contact the school of their choice to inquire if they have volunteer opportunities available. If denied, you will receive an email titled “Volunteer Application Denied.”

Volunteer FAQs

You may also consider volunteering with the Boys & Girls Club of Manatee County to assist students during after-school programs. 

Additional community partners offer supplemental literacy opportunities for students during the school year and/or summer.

Level I Clearance is required for ALL volunteers interacting with students in a supervised environment, such as classrooms, cafeteria, media center, daytime field trips, where you are in eye and earshot of a school faculty member or teacher at all times. Individuals desiring volunteer assignments in the school system must provide social security numbers and other personal information required to perform background screenings.

Level II Clearance is required for ALL volunteers who will be interacting with students in an unsupervised environment, such as overnight field trips, one-to-one mentoring, tutoring, and overnight competitions. Instructions to obtain Level II Clearance may be obtained by emailing gambinod@manateeschools.net. (Please note: Application fees for a Level II fingerprint screening are approximately $80 and paid by the volunteer. The results are monitored by the Office of Safety & Security for a period of 5 years). In addition, volunteers who complete a Level II screening MUST also complete the Level I application.

For more information on the volunteer process, contact Deborah Perry-Gambino, Community Engagement Specialist gambinod@manateeschools.net.

NOTE: The School District of Manatee County values student safety and security. Therefore, prior conduct may disqualify a volunteer applicant from the privilege to volunteer.  To meet the required search criteria of Section 943.04351, Florida Statutes, we must conduct a search against your registration information regarding sexual predators and sexual offenders through the Dru Sjodin National Sexual Offender Public Website.

Accordingly, applicants will not be approved as school volunteers for the following reasons:

• Convicted of or had adjudication withheld for any felony offense, at any time;
• Convicted of or had adjudication withheld for any misdemeanor within the past three (3) years;
• or Any pending criminal charges of a crime that would disqualify the applicant from employment with the School District of Manatee County.

The School District of Manatee County is subject to laws governing the release of public records, including Florida Statutes Chapter 119.

Updated July 7, 2022