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The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) broadly allows public employers to accept services from "volunteers." Volunteers are defined as individuals who perform services for a public agency "freely and without pressure or coercion direct or implied from the employer … for civic, charitable or humanitarian reasons, without promise, expectation or receipt of compensation for their services." However, volunteers can be reimbursed for their expenses, receive reasonable benefits, a nominal fee or any combination of these without losing their status as a volunteer.

By Marcy Bauers

School districts across the state of New Hampshire have each adopted a new policy in response to Governor John Lynch’s signing of the Pupil Safety and Violence Prevention Act (RSA 193-F). The reenacted RSA required that the policy be in place no later than six months after the Act’s effective date of July 1, 2010.

There has been a great deal of discussion about today’s high school curriculum and how to be best preparing young adults for the 21st century and a global economy. Whether it be school-to-work opportunities, foreign exchanges, civics education or other programs, getting students involved in community seems to be a common theme. For the past 13 years, one high school in New Hampshire has quietly been getting seniors involved on the local level as a requirement to graduate.

It seems like only a year or two ago that my school board engaged in heated discussions about banning cell phones, iPods and other electronic gizmos from school. We talked for hours about cyberbullying and cheating versus the needs of parents to arrange for rides to sports and activities, emergency uses and more. We tried to establish limits: use in cafeterias or buses only, or limiting the hours of use to before or after school. We had the superintendent bring us policies and we wrangled on into the night and from meeting to meeting.

Wow. That’s the first word that comes to mind after my visit to the new Windham High School. Last month’s column on changing technology prompted an alert reader to suggest I pay a visit to this 21st century school to see how technology is already being implemented in a big way.