Checking Yellow Cards

See Yellow Card Illustrations, here.

If you are checking yellow cards, you will need the school office to supply you with an official class roster for each classroom.

Talk over with your principal arrangements for keeping the cards secure and make sure you have a clear schedule for your work -- these cards need to be in place as quickly as possible. Make sure you understand what information you are checking besides that the cards match the class roster. For example, your principal may request that you verify that each card includes complete contact information --name, address, phone-- for two local contacts. ("Local" means, ideally, within walking distance of the school. Communications and even travel may be very difficult in a severe disaster!)

At the conclusion of your work, report your results to the school office. Tell the office about any mismatches between the class roster and the yellow cards included in the class backpack. If you are checking contact information, let the office know about any missing information so they may contact parents.

Note: some sites have historically performed first-day card checking by posting a parent at the door of each classroom. More recently, sites have begun enforcing a rule that children may not attend school without a complete Yellow Card submission on the first day.

About the Cards

Are the cards bundled or bagged or otherwise held together? (Are they stored properly?)
Is there a perfect match between the class roster and the yellow cards?
Are there enough "badge holders" (plastic bags with yarn; see illustration) for the class, with spares?
Are there any out-of-date cards?
Is any emergency information (for example, local contacts) missing or insufficient?

FAQ

What do I do with out-dated yellow cards?

Out-dated yellow cards may carry sensitive information about a child who is very likely still in the school system. You should return these to the office for shredding.

Should I put the cards in the "gadge holders"?

You may if you want or if requested by your principal. The cards are much easier to audit before they are inserted. Alternatively, it's a good activity for the children to do this under supervision of their teacher, say, during an emergency drill.

Should I contact parents about missing or incorrect information?

No, under no circumstances contact parents regarding this information. All parent contact should be done by the school office or principal.

I accidentally saw some sensitive information. What do I do?

Since the information you need to examine is adjacent to potentially sensitive information, it is difficult to avoid. Imagine how you would feel if it was information about your child, and forget about it.

Isn't it a security risk to have yellow cards in the backpack?

Classrooms are generally under the supervision of a teacher or other responsible adult. There's no evidence that anyone has ever tampered with the backpacks or taken an unauthorized look at the yellow cards inside. In any case, the backpacks must be easily accessible for the sake of emergency use, so there's no practical alternative.