Background Checks for Teachers Not Cutting It
by Nick Fishman
I just put my daughter on the school bus to go to kindergarten for the very first time and I actually made it through without having to be restrained from accompanying her or from being put in a straight jacket. As I drove to work, I thought about all the people we as parents entrust our children to when they go to school. Teachers, school administration, the bus driver, maintainance workers, etc. Because I am in the business of employment screening, I am acutely aware of the substandard searches required by the states and executed by the schools. So obviously I was looking at an excuse to rail on the system as I have for some time now. Only now, it’s very real to me and very personal.
Imagine my surprise (not!) when I saw this article where the State Auditor in Missouri says more thorough background checks need to be conducted. I am impressed that an employee in this state is actually admitting that there is a problem and trust me when I tell you that this problem exists in every state. They say that they’ve used the state mandated FBI Check and a Central Registry Child Abuse Search, but it’s not enough. And they’re 100% right. It’s not enough for anyone working with children.
So why hasn’t anyone done anything up to this point? Two reasons: enlightenment that the methods the state imposes is just one resource and does not constitute a thorough check. Secondly, and here’s the big one: funding. Where will they get the money to conduct a thorough check? It seems to me that if a state can fund bridges and road construction, not to mention pork barrel spending attached to every bill, that surely they could find a budget that wouldn’t cost more than $100 per school worker. Relatively speaking, the total annual spend would be a drop in the bucket.
Here’s hoping someone takes action.
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December 26th, 2007 at 5:39 pm
I think that you are completely correct about funding being the issue! Just to give you a little perspective on the other side of it, I have been waiting almost 4 months for my FBI background check results so that I can start teaching. If it takes too much longer, I will be forced into a different career so that my family will be able to survive. Just for the record, I’ve never even had a speeding ticket.
We definately need some infrastructure in place which will allow this process to be meanful, effective and timely. As it is, the current system is a failure.