At a Lynchburg City School Board work session Tuesday night, members voted to change the current policy and craft new regulations for individuals who apply to volunteer at any Lynchburg public school.

Of the nine school board members, three voted against changing the policy — board chair Susan Morrison, Sharon Carter and Michael Nilles.

Since 1998 or earlier, Lynchburg residents have spoken out against the policy and other practices they felt were discriminatory toward students and others involved in LCS, said Danny McCain, a Lynchburg resident who attended Tuesday’s meeting.

In August, the Equity Task Force for Lynchburg City Schools pushed to make a change and requested the board rethink the policy. Since then, the LCS board has been considering potential changes.

Board members Robert Brennan and James Coleman proposed a vetting process for applicants with felony convictions on their records.

The proposal detailed creating a six-member panel made up of the LCS superintendent, a representative from the Engagement, Equity and Opportunity Division in LCS, two representatives from LCS administration and two representatives from the school at which the applicant wants to volunteer — which some members later suggested should be the principal of that school and a person chosen by the principal.

Though applications would go before this panel, the superintendent would make the final decision on whether an applicant is accepted and able to volunteer.

Applicants with “convictions involving a crime against a minor related to child abuse will exclude an individual from volunteering in Lynchburg City Schools,” according to the proposal — a provision which is also part of the Code of Virginia.

If the proposal is adopted, the panel would evaluate individuals based on things such as the severity of the crime and circumstances surrounding it, whether the crime was violent or involved a weapon, whether the crime was against property or a person, the number of felony convictions an applicant has, the amount of time between time served for the crime and when the application was submitted and whether the applicant is on probation related to the conviction.

If the applicant has a drug conviction, the panel would look at the nature of the controlled substances and whether the individual was convicted because of drug use or distribution.

Board members said they were not sure how a panel would get the necessary information on an applicant’s conviction.

The panel also would review whether the applicant has shown successful integration into the community and can be a positive role model for children and their reason for wanting to serve as a volunteer in the schools.

Lastly, the proposal suggested a new policy should be treated as a “pilot project,” with the board receiving regular updates, data being gathered on applications flagged for felonies and other close monitoring.

“We talk about equity, but a lot of times policies across the commonwealth do not reflect an investment in equity,” Coleman said.

Reason Chandler, pastor of Jackson Street United Methodist Church and parent to a student at E.C. Glass High School, said he was glad to see progress being made after getting involved with changing the policy about four years ago.

“I’m very pleased,” Chandler said. “This is a long journey.”

Lynchburg NAACP Branch President Carl Hutcherson also attended Tuesday’s meeting. He said he thinks people who have been convicted of felonies often become committed to being good citizens.

“Once a person has paid his or her debt to society, they should have the opportunity to participate,” Hutcherson said.