A volunteer is any person (other than an employee or contractor) authorized by the Kent School District to assist in school learning, activities, competitions, or events. 

All volunteers are required to complete the VIPS online application and approval process before beginning volunteer service. 

Our volunteer program is not for the fulfillment of court-required community service or other obligations imposed for violations of laws.

Step 1: Collect Required Information

To begin the VIPS application process, you will need:

• A valid email address.
• A valid state driver’s license, Washington State photo identification (ID), or a U.S. passport.
• Optional: A current Proof of Insurance document is required only if you are applying to be a driver on a field trip.

Step 2: Take, Save & Prepare Photos

Scan or take a photo of your ID or Proof of Insurance document and save it to your electronic device (as a PDF if possible) before beginning the online application.

The file must be 3MB or smaller. If you need to learn how to resize your photo or have issues uploading it, see frequently asked questions before emailing Volunteers@kent.k12.wa.us.

3: Create an Account & Complete the Application

As a new volunteer who has never served in a KSD school before, you must create a new Volunteers in Public Schools (VIPS) account, complete the online application, and pass a background check before beginning service.

4: Receive Volunteer Status Email

A notification email of volunteer status (approved, under review, or disapproved) will be sent within 24 hours of completing your renewal.

Please check your spam or junk folders in your email if you do not see a notification email.

• If you have questions about the background screening process, please email Tim.Kovich@kent.k12.wa.us.
• If you have questions, concerns, or need technical support, please email Volunteers@kent.k12.wa.us.
• If you have questions about volunteer opportunities at a specific school, please contact the school’s office.

Step 1: Log in to your existing VIPS account

As a returning volunteer, you must access your existing Volunteers in Public Schools (VIPS) account online and update your profile authorizing a new background check before each school year.

• If you forgot your user ID, please contact the school office where you volunteer.
• If you forgot your password, please click “Forgot Password?” to reset it.

Step 2: Agree to Volunteer Expectations

Agree to the volunteer expectations by selecting “I Agree” and clicking “OK” under “Acknowledgement.”

Step 3: Answer Disclosure Questions

Answer all questions under “Disclosure Form” and click “OK.”

Step 4: Update Contact Information if Needed

Update your contact information if necessary.

Step 5: Upload New Identification if Needed

You do not need to upload new identification unless it has expired in the last year. If it has expired, delete the current copy and then upload a new copy.

Step 6: Save Profile

Scroll to the bottom of the page and click “Save Profile” to finish.

Step 7: Receive Volunteer Status Email

A notification email of volunteer status (approved, under review, or disapproved) will be sent within 24 hours of completing your renewal.

Please check your spam or junk folders in your email if you do not see a notification email.

• If you have questions about the background screening process, please email Tim.Kovich@kent.k12.wa.us.
• If you have questions, concerns, or need technical support, please email Volunteers@kent.k12.wa.us.
• If you have questions about volunteer opportunities at a specific school, please contact the school’s office.

If there are no “YES” answers on the disclosure questions regarding criminal history and there is no criminal history returned in the background check, you should receive an approval the next day after your application is submitted.

If your application and/or background check requires additional review, you will be notified by email that your application is under review. Please allow two weeks for the review to be completed.

Please check your email spam or junk folders for the volunteer status email (approved, under review, or disapproved).

Log in to the VIPS system using the user name and password that you previously created in the application and check to see if your email address is correct. If it is correct, then contact the school.

Contact the school where you wish to volunteer for issues or questions.

School Safety Services supports the background screening process. Please contact Tim.Kovich@kent.k12.wa.us for questions about background screen

A notification email of your volunteer status (approved, under review, or disapproved) will be sent to you within 24 hours of completing your online application.

Please check your email spam or junk folders if you do not see a notification email. If you have questions, please call your school's office

Log in to the VIPS system using the user name and password that you previously created in the application and check to see if your email address is correct. If the email was incorrect, correct it. Then, wait for an approval or non-approval email to arrive in your inbox. It should only be a few days.

Contact the school where you wish to volunteer for further information, issues, or questions.

Our system currently cannot process non-U.S. forms of identification. This can affect those new to the United States or foreign exchange college students. Other valid U.S. state driver’s license can be used as well as U.S. passports.

To make the process more streamlined and efficient, volunteers are required to complete an online application.

The only paper form option is a Student Volunteer Form  Students in high, middle, or elementary school must submit the form to their principal for approval. Students who are homeschooled can complete the form with a parent signature instead of the principal’s signature.

Volunteers may assist district personnel online under the supervision of a Kent School District staff member. This means a volunteer can join a remote learning meeting (Microsoft Teams, Canvas, etc.) under the supervision of KSD personnel.  

At no time should a volunteer be online alone with a student or group of students. A KSD staff member must supervise volunteers at all times. Example: you may ask a volunteer to read to students online, and there must be a district staff member also in the meeting.  

At all times, district personnel overseeing the online event retains the primary responsibility for supervising, diagnosing, prescribing, instructing, and evaluating students.  

Volunteers must maintain the privacy of student education records consistent with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), special education laws, and corresponding state laws. 

Volunteers shall not take screenshots or other photos or descriptions of students and post on a personal website or social media accounts.  

Exception: if the volunteer is the student’s parent or guardian and is taking a photo or screenshot of their child only with no other students or staff in the photo or screenshot. 

Parents, family members, or guardians who are not serving in a volunteer capacity who are “visiting” their child’s remote learning environment are not considered volunteers.  

If a parent, family member, or guardian would begin to provide help or other services in the remote learning environment to students, they must complete the online application and approval process. 

Please email Volunteers@kent.k12.wa.us for questions, concerns, and technical support.  

Special characters are not accepted by the system and will cause an error. These characters include:

• Hyphen -
• Dash --
• Slash /
• Pound sign #
• Apostrophe '
• Asterisk *

Any name you have been identified with including your maiden name, if different than your married name. 

Always include both first and last names even if the first or last name is the same as your current name.

Both the first and last alias name boxes must be completed. If one is left blank, it will cause an error in the system.

Most often, the file size is too large. The maximum file size is 3MB. You will need to save the photo as  PDF or resize it.

Be sure to click the upload button only once. A green √ will appear beside the text Identification when the file has been successfully uploaded. Click on the submit button to complete the application process.

Save the Photo as a PDF

Another option is to save the photo as a PDF, then upload it.

Steps to resize a photo on an iPhone

1. Take a photo of the ID with your phone
2. Email the photo to yourself. When the option to choose a size appears, choose small, send
3. Open email and save the photo to your phone
4. Go to VIPS application/Identification/Upload, click browse, choose photo you just saved
5. A green check mark should appear by the text Identification if you uploaded the photo successfully
6. Click the submit button to complete the application

Steps to resize a photo on an Android

1. Take a photo of the ID with your phone
2. Email the photo to yourself (should automatically resize).
3. Open email and save the photo to your phone
4. Go to VIPS application/Identification/Upload, click browse, choose photo you just saved
5. A green check mark should appear by the text Identification if you uploaded the photo successfully
6. Click the submit button to complete the application

Steps to resize a photo on a MAC

1. Select the image you want to resize.
2. Right click on the image and select “Open With Preview.”
3. In Preview, go to Edit > Select All.
4. Once the image is selected, go to Tools > Adjust Size
5. Enter the width or height value (no larger than 1024 x 512 pixels) to resize the photo. Make sure “Scale Proportionally” is selected. This will ensure that your image is proportionally resized.
6. Save and close
7. Go to VIPS application/Identification/Upload, click browse, choose photo you just saved
8. A green check mark should appear by the text Identification if you uploaded the photo successfully
9. Click the submit button to complete the application

Steps to resize a photo on a PC

1. Right click photo and select edit
2. it will bring up the photo in paint
3. Resize or crop the photo, then save
4. Go to VIPS application/Identification/Upload, click browse, choose photo you just saved
5. A green check mark should appear by the text Identification if you uploaded the photo successfully
6. Click the submit button to complete the application

The most common issues are the ID file is too large or a required field has not been completed.

Go back through the application checking to see if all fields with a red * beside them have been completed.