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TRAINER NOTES�GETTING YOURSELF READY

Materials:

Google Slides presentation pulled up/downloaded
markers/ note paper
Post-it notes

Your preparation:

Read through the notes for all slides
Modify slides as necessary (specifically MSA)
Practice presenting for timing, to test technology, and to deepen understanding

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Agenda (w/times):

Do now: 5 minutes

Member Service agreement: 15 minutes

Prohibited Activities: 20 minutes

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TRAINER NOTES: AP SYMBOLS

2

Turn and talk

Write on whiteboard

Write on

handout

Post-it

Discuss with table

Whipshare

Popsicle sticks/

Cold Call

TALK

WRITE

SHOW/ACT

Take a poll

Four corners

Carousel/

chalk talk

Fingers up

CUSTOM

Model / Present

Returner Differentiation

Local Context

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VIRTUAL AP OPTIONS

3

Take a photo

Reflect

Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down

Record a video

Padlet

Flipgrid

Add to Google Sheet

Share a reaction

Add comment to Google Doc

Take an

online quiz

Add an emoji

Group brainstorm

Record your

voice

Spin the Wheel

Chat

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BREAKTHROUGH

CORE CONCEPTS

Self-Reflection/

Personal Development

Educational Opportunity

Developing Strong Relationships

Applying Breakthrough Teaching Practices

Beyond Breakthrough/Continuous Learning & Leadership

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Understanding the Member Service Agreement

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PLEASE READ BEFORE CONTINUING

Recording or photography of any Breakthrough Instructional Training (BIT) and AmeriCorps Orientation is not permitted without prior written permission.

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DO NOW

What makes you more likely to read something? What helps you retain information?

https://www.instagram.com/aarondinin/reel/DE5wLLAuoVM/

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Purpose

To increase understanding of AmeriCorps rules and regulations, we will take a deep dive into the Member Service Agreement (MSA) and Prohibited Activities

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Objective

Today you will be able to use the MSA to find key information related to service expectations and benefits, and identify activities as prohibited, allowable, and unallowable.

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Elements of the MSA

Term of Service

The member's term of service begins ___ 2025 and ends ___ 2025.
The Minimum Time member will complete a minimum of 300 hours of service during this period.
The member understands that in order to complete the term of service (as defined by the program and consistent with regulations of AmeriCorps the Agency) and to be eligible for the Segal Education Award the member must:
Satisfactorily complete the required minimum number of hours (300, minimum time)
Satisfactorily complete the appropriate education/training that relates to the member's ability to perform service.
Participate continuously in the services and activities of the program through the end date of this agreement regardless of hours earned.

Minimum Qualifications for Members

The member certifies that they are a United States citizen, a national or legal permanent resident and at least 18 years of age.
The member certifies that they are a high school graduate or has received their G.E.D.
The member must pass the National Service Criminal History Check

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Member Benefits

A living allowance of XXXX will be distributed evenly over the term of service. The living allowance is taxable. Members will receive a living allowance installment only in the pay periods in which they serve.

Upon successful completion of the member's term of service, the member will receive the Segal Education Award with a value of $1,565.08 from the National Service Trust. This is paid directly to the educational program. The member must have a high school diploma or its equivalent prior to using the education award.

National Service Loan Forbearance & Interest Payment. Members are eligible for national service loan forbearance for most federally backed (Title IV) student loans. It is the responsibility of the member to request forbearance via My AmeriCorps. If a member places a student loan in national service loan forbearance, and successfully completes the term of service, the National Service Trust will repay a portion or all of the interest that accrued on the loan during the term of service.

Public Service Loan Forgiveness (if applicable)

Member Assistance Program:

24/7 toll-free telephonic access to services

Unlimited in-the-moment telephonic counseling services with master’s degree level counselors

Mobile app with resources and appointment scheduling access

Medical advocacy

Financial and legal assistance (30-minute consultations)

Life coaching

Personal concierge for everyday needs

Work and life resources and referrals

SNAP benefits: reach out to your program director if you think you are eligible. The AmeriCorps living allowance does not count as income.

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Elements of the MSA

Standards of Conduct

Prohibited Activities

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Standards of Conduct

The expectations outlined in the AmeriCorps Teaching Fellow handbook, Member Service Agreement, and those shared during AmeriCorps Teaching Fellow training and onboarding, should be followed at all times during the AmeriCorps Teaching Fellowship. Those found violating program policies or not meeting community expectations will be subject to the following escalation policy. Breakthrough strives to model restorative practices whenever possible, but the safety of the Breakthrough community at large is our utmost priority.

A restorative conversation with the director, identifying the harm or violated policy and developing a restoration plan;
A subsequent conversation will include a documented warning from the director to be included in the AmeriCorps Teaching Fellow’s Breakthrough records, and the AmeriCorps Teaching Fellow will be subject to a behavior improvement plan;
Continued escalation of related issues, or the violation of policy that may threaten the safety of the Breakthrough Community will result in the dismissal of the AmeriCorps Teaching Fellow from the program, and any benefits (housing, education award, transportation assistance, etc.) being revoked. This may impact the AmeriCorps Teaching Fellow’s ability to receive their stipend.

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Elements of the MSA

Drug-Free Workplace

Non-Harassment & Non-Discrimination Policy

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Elements of the MSA

(a) Release for compelling personal circumstances.

(1) An AmeriCorps program may release a participant upon a determination by the program, consistent with the criteria listed in paragraphs (a)(6) and (a)(7) of this section, that the participant is unable to complete the term of service because of compelling personal circumstances, if the participant has otherwise performed satisfactorily and has completed at least fifteen percent of the agreed term of service.

(2) A participant who is released for compelling personal circumstances and who completes at least 15 percent of the required term of service is eligible for a pro-rated education award.

(3) The program must document the basis for any determination that compelling personal circumstances prevent a participant from completing a term of service.

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Elements of the MSA

(4) Compelling personal circumstances include:

(i) Those that are beyond the participant's control, such as, but not limited to:

(A) A participant's disability or serious illness;

(B) Disability, serious illness, or death of a participant's family member if this makes completing a term unreasonably difficult or impossible; or

(C) Conditions attributable to the program or otherwise unforeseeable and beyond the participant's control, such as a natural disaster, a strike, relocation of a spouse, or the nonrenewal or premature closing of a project or program, that make completing a term unreasonably difficult or impossible;

(ii) Those that AmeriCorps the Agency, has for public policy reasons, determined as such, including:

(A) Military service obligations;

(B) Acceptance by a participant of an opportunity to make the transition from welfare to work; or

(C) Acceptance of an employment opportunity by a participant serving in a program that includes in its approved objectives the promotion of employment among its participants.

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Elements of the MSA

(5) Compelling personal circumstances do not include leaving a program:

(i) To enroll in school;

(ii) To obtain employment, other than in moving from welfare to work or in leaving a program that includes in its approved objectives the promotion of employment among its participants; or

(iii) Because of dissatisfaction with the program.

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Elements of the MSA

(b) Release for cause.

(1) A release for cause encompasses any circumstances other than compelling personal circumstances that warrant an individual's release from completing a term of service.

(c) Suspended service.

(1) A program must suspend the service of an individual who faces an official charge of a violent felony (e.g., rape, homicide) or sale or distribution of a controlled substance.

(2) A program must suspend the service of an individual who is convicted of possession of a controlled substance.

(3) An individual may not receive a living allowance or other benefits, and may not accrue service hours, during a period of suspension under this provision.

(d) Reinstatement

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Elements of the MSA

Reasonable accommodations: process by which members with disabilities may request reasonable accommodations

Members have access to a reasonable accommodation request form in their America Learns profile. If needed, members should submit a copy of this form to their program director and the Breakthrough Collaborative AmeriCorps Director.

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Elements of the MSA

AmeriCorps Teaching Fellow Grievance procedure:

The full ATF grievance policy as well as AmeriCorps preliminary complaint resolution (PCR), Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), and formal grievance filing procedures are available in the Member Service Agreement
Should an ATF need to bring a grievance, we ask that ATFs follow the escalation process below.

Direct Supervisor

Program Director

Executive Director

National AmeriCorps Director

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Timekeeping

This time and attendance record is used to document eligibility for in-service benefits (your stipend!) and post-service benefits (your education award!)

Errors and omissions can result in disallowed hours, which might mean delays in your stipend and the potential loss of your education award.

You must completed 300 hours to receive your education award.

Review the step-by-step instructions in your MSA, or the video in your America Learns profile.

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Prohibited Activities

While charging time to the AmeriCorps program, accumulating service or training hours, or otherwise performing activities supported by the AmeriCorps program or AmeriCorps, staff and members may not engage in the following activities (see 45 CFR § 2520.65):

1. Attempting to influence legislation;

2. Organizing or engaging in protests, petitions, boycotts, or strikes;

3. Assisting, promoting, or deterring union organizing;

4. Impairing existing contracts for services or collective bargaining agreements;

5. Engaging in partisan political activities, or other activities designed to influence the outcome of an election to any public office;

6. Participating in, or endorsing, events or activities that are likely to include advocacy for or against political parties, political platforms, political candidates, proposed legislation, or elected officials;

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Prohibited Activities

7. Engaging in religious instruction, conducting worship services, providing instruction as part of a program that includes mandatory religious instruction or worship, constructing or operating facilities devoted to religious instruction or worship, maintaining facilities primarily or inherently devoted to religious instruction or worship, or engaging in any form of religious proselytization;

8. Providing a direct benefit to—

a. A business organized for profit;

b. A labor union;

c. A partisan political organization;

d. A nonprofit organization that fails to comply with the restrictions contained in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 related to engaging in political activities or substantial amount of lobbying except that nothing in these 9 provisions shall be construed to prevent participants from engaging in advocacy activities undertaken at their own initiative; and

e. An organization engaged in the religious activities described in paragraph g. above, unless AmeriCorps assistance is not used to support those religious activities;

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Prohibited Activities

9. Conducting a voter registration drive or using AmeriCorps funds to conduct a voter registration drive;

10. Providing abortion services or referrals for receipt of such services; and

11. Such other activities as AmeriCorps may prohibit.

AmeriCorps members may not engage in the previous activities directly or indirectly by recruiting, training, or managing others for the primary purpose of engaging in one of the activities listed. Individuals may exercise their rights as private citizens and may participate in the activities listed on their initiative, on non-AmeriCorps time, and using non-AmeriCorps funds. Individuals should not wear the AmeriCorps logo while engaging in any of the activities on their personal time.

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Prohibited Activities

In addition to the previous activities, the below are also prohibited:

Census Activities. AmeriCorps members and volunteers associated with AmeriCorps grants may not engage in census activities during service hours. Being a census taker during service hours is categorically prohibited. Census-related activities (e.g., promotion of the Census, education about the importance of the Census) do not align with AmeriCorps State and National objectives. What members and volunteers do on their own time is up to them, consistent with program policies about outside employment and activities.

Election and Polling Activities. AmeriCorps member may not provide services for election or polling locations or in support of such activities.

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Prohibited Activities

When do restrictions on prohibited activities apply?

During any work or service hours that are funded by the AmeriCorps grant
Applies to personnel (or positions) listed in the approved AmeriCorps program grant budget and AmeriCorps members listed in section 2 of the approved AmeriCorps program grant budget (as shown in eGrants)
Also applies to community volunteers recruited and managed by AmeriCorps members

When do restrictions on prohibited activities NOT apply?

The prohibited activities apply to time that is charged to the AmeriCorps grant (for personnel and AmeriCorps members). The restrictions do not apply to activities conducted during personal time
Individuals are free to exercise their rights as citizens when not charging staff or AmeriCorps member time to the grant
However, individuals must not wear AmeriCorps gear during personal time or display the AmeriCorps or Breakthrough logos in the course of conducting personal business. Members/staff must always be sure to avoid even the appearance of impropriety

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Scenario 1:

The AmeriCorps members serving in an after-school program want to petition the city’s mayor. The mayor is considering cutting subsidized transit passes for youth attending after-school programs.

The members are concerned that students will no longer be able to participate in the program. They argue that the city’s budget has nothing to do with the AmeriCorps program, and they should be allowed to petition the mayor and earn AmeriCorps hours for doing so.

According to AmeriCorps rules…

Can members earn hours petitioning the mayor?

Prohibited

While charging time to the AmeriCorps program, accumulating service or training hours, or otherwise performing activities supported by the AmeriCorps program or AmeriCorps, staff and members may not engage in the following activities (see 45 CFR § 2520.65):

Attempting to influence legislation;

Organizing or engaging in protests, petitions, boycotts, or strikes;

Participating in, or endorsing, events or activities that are likely to include advocacy for or against political parties, political platforms, political candidates, proposed legislation, or elected officials

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Scenario 2:

During her free time, an AmeriCorps member has been frequently sharing her political position regarding the upcoming gubernatorial election on Facebook. The member’s Facebook profile photo shows her wearing the AmeriCorps service gear issued by her program at the beginning of the service year.

According to AmeriCorps rules…

Can members share their political opinion on their personal social media?

Not Prohibited

The prohibition on political advocacy only applies to activities for which a member may accrue AmeriCorps service hours, so she is free to express her political beliefs and positions at will.

However, the member should not use a photo that contains the AmeriCorps gear/logo for personal business at any time. This is an example of an activity that would give the appearance of impropriety, since a causal observer may not be able to distinguish the individual’s personal political position from the AmeriCorps program or AmeriCorps the agency.

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Scenario 3:

Following the destruction of a local church, a team of AmeriCorps members would like to volunteer to help clear away debris from the site so reconstruction can begin. The members live in the community and they serve at a local nonprofit where many of their program staff and clients are members of the destroyed church. The members would volunteer on their own time with their families and friends to help the church.

According to AmeriCorps rules…

Can members volunteer for church cleanup on their own time?

Not Prohibited

The restrictions on religious activities do not apply in this scenario, since the members would be engaging in the proposed activities on their own time.

However, no AmeriCorps resources may be used for this activity. Members may not wear their gear while volunteering.

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Scenario 4

A service site is hosting a resource fair for people in its neighborhood. Some AmeriCorps members, who serve as resource navigators, want to set up a table to provide attendees with information about upcoming job search and resume writing workshops. A voter registration organization will also be in attendance, as the deadline to register to vote for the upcoming election is only a few weeks away.

According to AmeriCorps rules…

Can members provide information at a resource fair where a voter registration drive is also being held?

Not Prohibited

This activity is allowable, as AmeriCorps members are not the ones registering voters.

However, members should ensure that there is a distinction between the registration group and themselves to avoid the appearance of a prohibited activity taking place.

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Non-duplication

and Non-displacement

A participant in any program receiving assistance under this chapter may not perform services or duties that have been performed by or were assigned to any –

Presently employed worker;

Employee who recently resigned or was discharged;

Employee who is subject to a reduction in force or who has recall rights pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement or applicable personnel procedures;

Employee who is on leave (terminal, temporary, vacation, emergency, or sick); or

Employee who is on strike or who is being locked out.

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Scenarios

How would you handle the following situations:

A student is asking you about your religious affiliation
A staff member at your site notices you are in a planning period and asks if you would help watch the front desk while they run a quick errand
A protest you’re interested in is happening at noon near your service site.
A gubernatorial candidate is visiting your site and wants to get a group photo with staff, students, and AmeriCorps Teaching Fellows

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Exit Ticket

Meta Moment Brainstorming

What are other ways to help ATFs understand Prohibited and unallowable activities?