Upper Grand District School Board trustees approved changes to how volunteers are screened at their June 23 meeting, and it means anyone wanting to help out in an Orangeville school will need a police record check first. The updated Policy 205 – School Volunteers takes hold for the 2026-27 school year and applies to all UGDSB schools, including Orangeville District Secondary School on Faulkner Street.
The change puts local policy in line with new Ontario rules. Back in December 2025, the province amended the Education Act to make police record checks mandatory for every school volunteer. That means parents, guardians, and community members can no longer just show up to help with a field trip or a classroom activity without first going through the process.
Not everyone needs the same kind of check. The board says volunteers who work one-on-one with students or in a position of trust are required to get a Vulnerable Sector Check, a more detailed search of police databases. Volunteers who are supervised in places like school libraries or fundraisers will need a Criminal Record and Judicial Matters Check. Principals at each school decide which type fits the role.
Volunteers will have to pay for their own checks, submit them within six months of getting them, and renew every four years. High school students logging their 40 hours of community service for graduation are not counted as volunteers under the policy and do not need a check.
The UGDSB serves more than 35,000 students from Guelph up through Dufferin and Wellington counties. At Orangeville District Secondary School, home to about 1,250 students in grades 9 through 12, Principal Audra Cook and her staff will be guiding families through the new steps this fall.
