Volunteer Guidelines

We offer multiple opportunities for our community to be engaged in effective education and healthy partnership with our schools. For the safety of all students, the Garland Independent School District requires all potential volunteers who will work at any campus receive a background check by the Department of Public Safety (DPS).  This includes both in-person and virtual volunteers.

Find out more about the volunteer application process.

Volunteering as a community member

If you are a community member without children in one of our schools, please select "Student Services" as a building you would like to volunteer in when you fill out the application. This will allow our Family and Community Engagement Department to help connect you to campus and district volunteer opportunities.

Visitor access rules

All visitors must follow health and safety requirements when volunteering with the district.

Volunteer Code of Conduct

As a volunteer in our schools, you are a role model for our students. State law (Texas Education Code 22.053), GISD Board Policy GKG and administrative regulations set certain standards for all staff and volunteers to follow so that the safety and well-being of our students is ensured while they are attending school. Therefore, everyone is asked to observe these guidelines:

• Observe the no smoking and no tobacco policy and follow campus established professional dress codes whether volunteering on campus or in a virtual environment.
• Keep any information about students confidential.
• Do not provide medical treatment unless designated as a trained clinic volunteer.
• Avoid proposing any personal or religious doctrines or beliefs to students.
• Seek the aid of school personnel in case of any discipline problems.
• Do not lend money to students while actively serving as a volunteer.
• Avoid promoting any specific business, commercial product or brand name.
• The volunteer/student relationship should be restricted to the school setting on campus, an approved GISD activity, or a GISD virtual environment.
• Volunteers are not allowed to be unsupervised in a virtual environment with children.
• Volunteers are not allowed to be alone and unsupervised with a student.
• Unless supervised by school district personnel, a volunteer must be 18 years of age before the first day of school.

The GISD volunteer guidelines apply to all volunteers whether a physical or virtual activity. For the safety of everyone, our district follows recommended health and safety guidelines.

Need a hard copy?

All of the information on our Volunteer in Our Schools page and Volunteer Application Process page is available as a PDF:

• Volunteer Handbook 2024-25
• Volunteer Handbook 2024-25 (Spanish)
• Volunteer Handbook 2024-25 (Vietnamese)