by Jason Morris

This makes me feel great, my 2nd grader starts school tomorrow.  The State of Ohio is widely considered one of the best states when it comes to the accessibility of fingerprinting and the channeling of results.  Ohio makes it very simple for industries to conduct background checks when fingerprints are required.  The fact that educator background checks are behind is ridiculous.

Background Checks of Longtime Educators Lag

Many to return to classes without a search for criminal history in years
Saturday,  August 16, 2008 8:50 PM

By Jennifer Smith Richards

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Hundreds of longtime educators whose criminal histories haven’t been examined in years, if ever, will return to their classrooms in the next few weeks without background checks, the state says.

The state didn’t even require fingerprints to be submitted until Sept. 5, after the start of school in most districts, but a backlog in federal background checks means that it could take much longer before the Ohio Department of Education examines the results.

In addition, the department’s priority is to check the background of new licensees before looking to see whether longtime school workers have criminal records.

All school workers must be fingerprinted for state and federal background checks under a state law enacted last fall. But educators with permanent or eight-year licenses are particularly affected, because many had not been checked.

More

by Jason Morris

I will not go into a rant about inadequate background checks in our schools, I just won’t.  This story speaks for itself!  Our kids in public schools are being protected by an inadequate, antiquated background screening process.  Most States require a fingerprint check at the State level and a FBI check at the National level, only if the candidate has lived outside that State in the past five years.

They say they don’t have the money, schools are underfunded.  How many kids have to get assaulted before they realize metal detectors are not the only way to protect students.  A thorough criminal check must be done at the county level.

Since schools are the theme of this posting, administrators should read my series; Employment Screening 101.  Schools are just as liable as corporations.  Standing behind the budgetary excuses and doing the minimum required by state law does not stop 15 year old girls from getting sexually abused.  Administrators can start looking forward to negligent hiring lawsuits in the same way Corporate America does; If you could have known, you should have known!

Local drama teacher charged with sexual abuse had sexual assault allegation again him in past

(WHAS11) - We have new information about a Bardstown High School drama teacher arrested along with his wife last week.

Police say Kevin Holladay had an inappropriate relationship with a female student and his wife Marta Holladay was charged with assaulting that student.

Now, we’ve uncovered new information about Kevin Holladay’s past.

We found some information Kevin Holladay probably didn’t want Bardstown schools to know about and because of the way the district currently does background checks it remained his secret. Until we told his former boss about it on Wednesday.

The drama coach, who goes by the name “Campfire Kev”, had his own summer camp experience 11 years ago, one that could have landed him in prison for 20 years.

In July 1997, Kevin Holladay was charged with sexual assault against a child.

According to reports, Holladay was a counselor at a summer camp in Wisconsin, when he allegedly fondled a 13-year-old girl who fell asleep while watching a movie with him.

More