Alderman Elementary School in Wilmington, North Carolina screens its volunteers with Bchex. Chloe Camp, the school counselor and volunteer coordinator, uses it to see who is cleared as a Level 2 volunteer, send parents their check, and clear last-minute chaperones in time for the trip.
The challenge
Parents who realize at the last minute that they need clearance to chaperone.
The result
Every cleared Level 2 volunteer in one place, and late chaperones cleared in time for the trip.
About Alderman Elementary School
Alderman Elementary School is a public elementary school in Wilmington, North Carolina. Chloe Camp is both its school counselor and its volunteer coordinator.
Success story snapshot
- Last-minute chaperones cleared in time for the trip
- Who’s cleared as Level 2, visible at a glance
- Approved checks on hand when custody questions come up
- Fast answers from the support team
Two jobs, one counselor
Two roles at once. Chloe is the school’s counselor and its volunteer coordinator.
Who’s cleared? Before a parent chaperones a field trip or helps with end-of-year testing, Chloe needs to know they’ve been cleared as a Level 2 volunteer.
The last-minute parent. Some parents only realize right before a trip that they need an approved background check to chaperone.
It has just been a wonderful addition to me being volunteer coordinator.
One place to check and send
Who’s cleared, at a glance. “It helps me to easily access who at my school is a Level 2 volunteer who has been cleared in their background check,” Chloe says.
Easy for parents. She sends volunteers their background check, and the website is user friendly for them to complete.
Fast support. When she has forgotten her password, customer service has been “really, really quick” to help.
Cleared in time for the trip
When a parent signs up to chaperone at the last minute, the check keeps up. “I usually receive background checks within 48 hours of a parent completing them,” Chloe says, “which makes it super easy, especially for those parents who last minute did not realize that they needed to be background check approved.”
Day to day, Chloe can see right away who is able to chaperone or help with testing. Having approved checks on hand has also helped in custody situations. In her words, it “provides an extra level of safety and security for the staff at my school.”
Their responses have been very timely and convenient.
What other schools can take from this
- Keep one list of who’s cleared. Staff can see at a glance who can chaperone or help with testing.
- Let parents do it online. Send the check by link; parents complete it themselves.
- Keep approved checks on hand. At Alderman, they’ve helped in custody situations.
* Some numbers come from customer quotes given in 2024. Today, about 85% of eligible Bchex searches come back within 24 hours.
Alderman Elementary School and Bchex: quick answers
- How quickly do school volunteer background checks come back?
- Fast enough for last-minute chaperones. In her June 2024 testimonial, volunteer coordinator Chloe Camp said she usually received checks within 48 hours of a parent completing them. Today, about 85% of eligible Bchex searches come back within 24 hours.
- How does a school keep track of which volunteers are cleared?
- Chloe uses the Bchex website to see who at her school is cleared as a Level 2 volunteer and to send new volunteers their background check to complete.
- Can parents complete a school volunteer background check online?
- Yes. At Alderman Elementary, volunteer coordinator Chloe Camp sends parents their background check, and she says the Bchex website is user friendly for volunteers to complete.
- Which school volunteers need a background check?
- At Alderman Elementary, parents who chaperone field trips or help with end-of-year testing must be cleared as Level 2 volunteers first. Volunteer coordinator Chloe Camp sends them their background check through Bchex.
- How do volunteer background checks help school staff?
- At Alderman Elementary, having approved checks on hand has helped in custody situations. Chloe Camp says it “provides an extra level of safety and security for the staff at my school.”
- Do other North Carolina school districts use Bchex?
- Yes. Bchex works with 90% of North Carolina school districts and 50% of South Carolina school districts, including Alderman Elementary School in Wilmington.
About Bchex
Bchex, formerly known as Background Investigation Bureau (BIB), is a PBSA-accredited, SOC 2 Type 2 certified background screening and workforce safety company founded in 1995 and based in Huntersville, North Carolina. It has run more than 40 million checks for 2,000+ organizations, including school districts, churches, nonprofits, staffing firms, and employers. The Bchex Safety Ecosystem covers background checks, volunteer screening with SecureVolunteer, ongoing monitoring with Chex365, and visitor check-in with Chexpass.
