I understand the emotion expressed by mykidsmom. And I agree with her willingness to do anything to protect children. My point is, parents at our school have to do this every year. If they submitted a background check last year, that isn't enough. They must submit one again each school year they wish to volunteer.
Staff does not, and are subject to a background check only once, at their time of employment. As we all know, volunteers who submit to a background check yearly at their own expense are not necessarily without guilt. The only thing a background check serves to do is cover the school and guarantee that the individual being checked hasn't been convicted of a sexual/violent crime. It does not guarantee that they haven't committed one.
This is an expensive proposition, and like random drug testing that is for students only and not staff, just doesn't seem to resonate well.
I don't like this policy, but I get a background check done every year, even though my children's bus driver isn't required to.
I agree with taking proper safeguards and our children's security is extremely important. Personally, a check on me might show a traffic ticket ten years ago. Otherwise nothing.
But I have some philosophical problems with the possible invasion of privacy these mass background checks can create. I personally know of small towns where nothing is private. Any negative information on a person that was uncovered, no matter how irrelevant or how far in the distant past would be gossip fodder immediately. (Yes, I know the PTO doesn't get these reports.)
There are also opportunities for the whole process to be mishandled. We were at an area-wide Girl Scout activity a couple years ago that was an afternoon event in a public park with stations of activities. One knot tying station was short on volunteers so a dad dropping off his daughter stayed to help. About an hour later the event's coordinator freaked and rather publicly asked him to leave. Turns out that all volunteers (for anything with the Girl Scouts) must fill out an application weeks in advance and pay a $7 membership fee (which helps cover the background check).
Apparently the Girl Scout council has a person that spot checks these events to make sure all rules are followed, and the coordinator was terrified that they would get a bad report. She overreacted, and handled it badly. But, this man - through no fault of his own - was publicly embarrassed.
I think there needs to be some judgment and common sense applied and that it's not realistic to perform massive background checks on everyone who walks through the door. There needs to be some balance in the decision process. I want my children to be safe, but I don't necessarily want to surrender my personal right to privacy without just reason.
Our fingerprints were done at the police station and they offer this service for free on Fridays during certain hours. I had my done as I chair the skate parties and they are not at school and there isn't a school employee there. This year the school is doing background checks on new volunteers out of the schools budget.
Is this too much?? NO. If I am sending my son with another Mom on a feild trip, you bet I want my son to be safe. The guy that drives the bus...YOU BET! The woman helping my son or daughter at the bookfair, or at the library, or even lunch....YOU BET! I sit at a table and check in students at the skate parties, most nights I say HI and that's it but you bet I went through a background check to cover myself!
This is the first year our school has required fingerprinting and background checks for all volunteers. I think it is a great idea. They made it very easy for us. They came to our PTO meeting (it was done after the meeting, many of the parents who leave as soon as the meeting is done had to stay for fingerprinting, this gave us regulars a chance to talk to them and get them more involved). Then they set up two more dates to come to our school for the people who were not at the meeting. The school district paid for this, not the volunteers.
Our school district requires a background check every year. It's not a bad idea as we've gotten several in the past who were not able to be in the school due to their crimes (anywhere from sex offender with deferred adjudication to petty theft).
I think a questionnaire is over the top for volunteers because the volunteers are not left alone with the students. I can see it for youth sports, or in other places where the volunteer is directly responsible for a child's welfare, but in a school setting, where a teacher or other school official is present, I don't think a questionnaire or other type of check is necessary. (If the volunteer was left alone with the students for any length of time, like an afterschool club or similar situation, then perhaps a security check is warranted.)
I think fingerprinting is over the top in any situation unless the questionnaire brings up something questionable. Even volunteers have a right to privacy.
