Volunteers are at-will staff, albeit unpaid. Each program has established a set of behavioral guidelines for acceptable behaviors from their volunteers, and Cooperative Extension and The University of Arizona also have established behavioral guidelines. If a volunteer violates any of those guidelines, that volunteer can be terminated.
County staff and the County Extension Director consult regarding the violation of policy. If the violation is considered severe enough to warrant termination, the case (written documentation of the concerns) is referred to the Arizona 4-H Director. After review (alone or with the assistance of an ad hoc committee), the Director determines if the volunteer should be suspended, terminated, or continued in active status (perhaps with limitations on authority or capacity). If suspension or termination is appropriate, the Director will send a certified letter to the volunteer and notify the county.
A roster of suspended and terminated volunteers will be retained at the state level. Volunteers who have been terminated in one county or program will not be approved for appointment in other counties or programs without a thorough review.
Other programs besides 4-H should report terminated volunteers to the state office, even if the decision to terminate does not require approval at from the state program director.
Reminder: Volunteer records should be retained per University of Arizona personnel standards.
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