William (Bill) J. Tate is president of HR Plus, a leading provider of comprehensive employment and background screening solutions and a division of AlliedBarton Security Services.
The successful operation of a K-12 school requires capable administrators providing instructional leadership and managing day-to-day activities. Administrators concerned with the bottom line often encourage parents and other responsible adults to volunteer to offset the budget challenges that schools face.
Volunteers provide thousands of hours of help every year to children and teachers across the country. While these volunteers do not teach class or assign grades, they often step in to assist with extra-curricular activities, field trips, special events and after-school programs.
Many opportunities exist for adults to volunteer and support school activities. While the majority of school volunteers are law-abiding role models, unsavory adults sometimes do come into the mix.
Predators, or “wolves in volunteers’ clothing,” can be quite wily at finding ways to be near children, and they sometimes assume the role of school volunteer. When the infamous bank robber, Willie Sutton, was asked why he stole from banks, he said, “Because that’s where the money is.” The same is true for children and schools.
The practice of background checks for school employees is standard for all who have access to children. Background checks reduce organizational liability and help protect children. So why should this practice differ with school volunteers?
More and more districts across the country are adopting policies to ensure that volunteers are screened through a criminal background check before working with children. School districts in Charlotte, Nashville, Seattle and San Antonio, for example, actively screen volunteers who will interact with students.
Illinois has no statutory screening requirement for school volunteers. The only legal restriction on volunteers is a statute that prohibits a child sex offender from being on school property or loitering within 500 feet of that property, unless specifically permitted. Sample policy from the Illinois Association of School Boards offers a paragraph that boards may choose that will give them policy that goes beyond state statute if the board wishes to have stricter requirements, like having the superintendent establish procedures to screen volunteers.
In 2007, the board of education in Norwalk, Connecticut, adopted a policy requiring adults who volunteer, in certain situations, to submit to a background check that includes fingerprinting and a national criminal database review for criminal records or involvement with Child Protective Services.
Depending on the volunteer’s role and the level of supervision over children, I believe school volunteers should be subject to the same screening criteria as a school employee.
While a growing number of public and private schools across the country have implemented strict background screening policies for volunteers, others believe that background checks on school volunteers will reduce volunteer involvement.
But every school needs to carefully consider who they allow to interact with their students — on school grounds and at school-sponsored activities. Background checks on school volunteers may reveal that someone has a criminal history or is living under an alias. Most parents I know don’t want volunteers who have misdemeanor and felony convictions at their schools.
As a parent and human resources professional, I believe all school administrators should be active in ensuring that a background screening process is in place for all people who come into contact with their students at school. Nothing is more important than the safety and security of our children.
Questions to consider
Administrators should work in concert with the board of education and the school’s parent association to ensure a high level of security is established with volunteers at each school. When developing or reviewing a school background screening policy and procedures, the answers to these questions may help identify areas in need of improvement:
• Does the school have a policy in place to ensure background screening for all employees of the school? Are teachers, crossing guards, teaching assistants, nurses, cafeteria workers, maintenance people — virtually all paid employees — screened?
• What type of background screening is conducted on employees? Is a national criminal background check conducted? Is the school conducting drug and alcohol testing?
• Does the district permit parents, grandparents and other family members to act as volunteers?
• Does the district permit non-familial relations (i.e., area residents, nannies, family friends, etc.) to act as volunteers?
• Is there mandatory background screening for all school volunteers — whether they are family members or non-familial relations?
While some schools engage only in limited county or state checks, the national criminal background check offers the most comprehensive way to investigate someone’s criminal history in the United States.
A national criminal background check searches for criminal and county court records, correctional facility records, and sex offender, terrorist and most wanted criminal records. National criminal background reports show current and historical felony convictions and misdemeanor offenses.
Federal and state laws strictly regulate drug testing procedures in order to protect the interests and rights of employers and employees, but should teachers be randomly drug-tested? Practices vary across the country, so a careful review of state law, as well as teacher’s contracts and union agreements, will be important when developing background screening policies and procedures.
Teacher drug testing was the subject of court cases in North Carolina and West Virginia, where educators argued that time and costs associated with random tests would be better spent in the classroom. Hence, it is no surprise that if our nation’s teachers are not subject to drug screening, the volunteers are also getting a free pass.
The school is likely to be held responsible if a child is placed in danger from a volunteer or an employee. For the safety of the students, parents’ peace of mind and the fiscal health of the school, it makes sense to implement a comprehensive background screening program.
Children are our most precious resource, and they must be vigorously protected. Ensuring that “wolves in volunteers’ clothing” don’t enter our children’s vulnerable world is of paramount importance.