VIRTUS Program

Background Checks – Policies for School Parent Volunteers
As part of the diocesan initiative to maintain a safe environment for all of our children, all volunteers in the school are required to complete a background check prior to working in the school and to complete VIRTUS training within 45 days of submitting the background check application.

In accordance with diocesan policy, full compliance for an adult parent volunteer is not required for open events. (An open event is one that is open to the public, infrequent and publicized, such as Field Day, concerts and special events/assemblies.) However, full compliance is required for adult parent volunteers who wish to participate in closed events. (A closed event is one that is not entirely open to the general public such as classroom activities, parties, field trips, etc.) For this reason, all parents who wish to attend field trips or volunteer in support of classroom activities are required to complete the background check process and attend VIRTUS training.

The online application for the diocesan background check can be found at the following link: https://secure4.arlingtondiocese.org/OPCYP_application

To register for VIRTUS training which is hosted at parishes and schools throughout our diocese, please follow the link below.
virtus.org

Protecting God’s Children

As part of the diocesan initiative to maintain a safe environment for all of our children, all volunteers with significant contact with children are required to complete a background check prior to working in the school.

In accordance with diocesan policy, only those parents who have completed the criminal background check are eligible to volunteer in positions that involve contact with students. Those who will be volunteering in All Saints Catholic School are required to complete the background check. Those who have not yet completed the background check process are invited to request a packet of forms from the school or parish office.

An additional component of the safe environment program established by the Diocese of Arlington is mandatory training for volunteers on the topic of child abuse prevention. If you have not previously attended Virtus training, you must attend a 4-hour full Virtus training session.

For a list of upcoming training dates, please see the Virtus Online website. All volunteers who have not previously attended Virtus training are asked to register on-line at www.virtus.org to receive credit for attending this upcoming session.

Virtus Update Training – Now Required Every Three Years

The diocese requires volunteers who have completed the 4-hour training to participate in updated training every three years. This training will be accessed online. The Diocese will notify volunteers directly when they are due for a refresher, so it is important that you contact program coordinator Cristina Jimenez at cjimenez@allsaintsva.org, if your email address changes.