Children- It’s Our Job to Keep Them Safe

It’s not so long ago that background investigations were associated only with jobs that required a weapon or presented financial temptation, or for positions related to national security. Whether the times are less innocent or the public is better educated to the risks, there is a general acceptance -- and moreover expectation -- of background checking as a necessary precaution. This is particularly so in service sectors that care for the most vulnerable members of society, most especially children.

In her June 10, 2010 coverage of the Albany County (Wyoming) School District board meeting for the Laramie Boomerang, Eve Newman reported a policy under consideration. “With the intent of protecting students while not burdening school personnel with too much additional paperwork,” The tentative policy proposes sex offence and criminal history checks of potential public school volunteers who seek to have prolonged or repeated interaction, or participate in any off-campus activity that would have them be alone with students. The district’s assistant superintendent for personnel is quoted as saying “the only reason we’re doing it is to protect our children,” implying that the school district might have anticipated some resistance to expanding background screening to this population, yet readers’ comments on the online article showed only surprise that such a policy was not already in place. "It is hard to believe that in this day and age, there have not been background checks on ALL those school district employees working with children,” wrote a reader signed Hard to Believe. Similar sentiments were expressed by other readers, some of whom described themselves as active in child-related organizations that have already implemented such policies. “These are our children we are talking about,” said Lori, the owner of a child care facility, “and it is our job to keep them safe.”

New York Senator Chuck Schumer agrees. Senator Schumer is looking beyond the teachers, bus drivers, etc. covered by most States to those who provide instruction in the arts, coaching, and children’s entertainment. “These positions,” he observes, “whether paid or voluntary, put dangerous sexual predators in immediate proximity to kids and gives these predators positions of authority while interacting with kids. That is a combination just looking for trouble.” On June 20, Schumer proposed a national measure to require sex offender checks for those who hold such positions, whether in organizations that receive public funding or in the private sector. “The fact that these [convicted] sex offenders are able to coach our children’s teams, operate rides at fairs, and teach them dance and music is beyond scary and we must take immediate action to stop it,” Schumer said; “my hope is that my new legislation closes this huge loophole so no children are put into harm’s way.”

Another loophole is being closed by the New Jersey State Senate Education Committee. As reported by SchoolBusFleet.com, on June 21, by vote of 4-0, the committee approved legislation to extend required background investigations for public school bus drivers to include other bus drivers for whom such checks are currently optional. Under the new law, passed by a vote of 4-0, drivers employed by nonpublic schools, or by companies holding a contract with agencies such as the Department of Human Services, the Department of Children and Families, and the Department of Law and Public Safety, would now be required to undergo a criminal history check. Conducted by the state Department of Education, the mandated check includes input from the Division of State Police and the FBI and also requires the comparison of data files on a regular basis to “assist in identifying school bus drivers who have had their special license [‘S’ endorsement] revoked or suspended but who are still employed as school bus drivers.”

Expressing the popular consensus, Boomerang reader CM wrote, “I think anytime that you have a situation where children are involved there should be background checks done.” Increasingly, as these recent examples show, legislation is coming to reflect this. When the care of children is concerned, background investigations are no longer an extraordinary practice, but a standard protection that the general public has come to expect.

Sterling is the leading provider of employment and background screening services. We offer background checks, drug testing, SSN verification and other key verification and assessment services. Fortune 500 and thousands of other industry-leading companies trust us to select their highest-quality employees.

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Mike Smith