Is the BGC going to keep someone out who wants to hurt a child? What about the person who has never been in trouble- their BGC may come out clean but it could be they have never been caught. Or someone who is a model citizen may decide to do something outside the norm. A person who has had problems in the past may have something on their record from years past and does not pose a threat. A person with a record may be less likely to do anything illegal as they know they are being looked at very carefully.
In the past few months we have had 3 teachers who have been accused of sexual misconduct(or the like) with students. These are the people we entrust our children to everyday. One teacher was discharged from another county for the same thing however our county hired him anyway. The other 2 as far as I know has a clean BGC.
Our county is currently revising a volunteer policy. Our school has cameras and a sign in procedure for visitors. The other policy required individuals to pay for their own BGC and the principal is supposed to interview prospective volunteers. This caused a stir for many as a lot of people can not afford to do this. I had a problem with it as I have a past felony that would have prevented me from volunteering even though I had done so for over 8 years without incident. The BOE wanted to treat volunteers as employees -I reminded them that if this was the case I was owed a very BIG paycheck. Fortunately for me I had a petition signed by half the parents as well as the teachers of our school who felt I did not pose a threat, and the County Board members voted to exclude me from this policy.
I know that many of you will not agree with my opinion on this which is fine. However take into consideration the full scope of such a poilcy. It is not full proof. Some felonies are many years old and the person so charged has paid for their crime should by all accounts be given a chance to show they have been reformed if warranted. Some felonies so recorded does not make a person dangerous- for instance a single mother at our school has a felony because of welfare fraud.- she collected $500. more than she should have. This is a woman who will do anything to help out when asked. Is she a threat to children? Not in my opinion.
If a policy is in force I do feel there are some convictions that should be looked at closely for volunteers. Any crime committed against or with a child whether neglect, physical or sexual abuse, etc. Of course sex offenders are required to register so it should be fairly easy to determine if that is the case with someone. Most of these cases are pretty high profile in the area the person lives in too so we would probably hear about it on the news. I'm not so much against the background checks but I do feel that there should be exceptions-if the crime does not involve a child, if the person has tried to make amends, if the conviction and sentencing have been completed- I just do not like to think that because someone cannot afford to have it done they wont be able to volunteer.
I also believe if a person has completed their sentencing and has tried to improve their life then that should be taken into consideration. I'm not naive enough to think that all people are good - but I don't believe that someone who has done wrong will always be bad either. Everyone deserves a chance to support their child in school. I am a wonderful person and an extraordinary volunteer who wants to help not only my own children but others who need a positive influence in their lives. And yes I know I am a positive influence I will continue to be so.
We do not do BGC on volunteers unless something is brought to our attention *yes very scary afterthought* I guess main reason is we do not leave any child alone with children. I myself am fingerprinted with FBI and BGC done thru the FBI. ( you will never know what shows up when they do a check nothing on me but the officer told me it will go all the way back to baby years if something happen in our home or you was around) Good information i thought. But security all doors are LOCKed under camera halls all have cameras the only way to get in is to be buzzed in. The sect. will Stop you if she does not know you. (she is not afraid she says been doing it for 30 yrs) And to top it off her hubby stops by alot he is police cheif. There has been times she has called the police to see who someone is. Nothing knock on wood has ever happen.
We have background checks for empoyees, volunteers and teachers AND our front door is open but you must present an ID and be checked in if coming into the building. Visiting? Nope, you are asked to have an appointment/delivery people are cleared with a show of their ID and expected or your dilevery will be comfirmed.
When our school was being build, our building manager was appauld how easy it was for him to walk into a school and walk around with no care or no one asking who he was and what he a was doing. He was also looking at post Columbine (those two teen age boys just walked into the school with their coats loaded) Did I mention the security cameras? Yep, got those too. Okay so we wave at them a lot when we are leaving the building and make fun of them but we have had incidences when a student or parent became hostile and the camera showed proof. Closed campus also helps when we need to lock down as we did when a suicidal man with a gun was running around in the neighborhood.
We live in a new world and I'm not really happy my parents are IDed and questioned when they visit our school BUT they do appreciate the level of security the school has that keeps their grandkids safe. You bet I miss "the old days" but I would rather be buzzed in knowing that that delivery guy has to too!
This is interesting! We just found out our city issued 6 acres in front of our school to a farm to plant 12ft. corn stalks! I am irrate and fighting this now. I have the issure of a BGC on the workers working around the school. The city opened their eyes to this issue! We are holding a special meeting this week to talk about these issues and many more. I will look into this further and post what they come up with. I know our baseball league coaches all need BG checks. Why would working in the school be different. I will let you all know.
I was informed today that the school board in the light of situations that have occured with children in our state, that there are new rules regarding anyone that steps onto school grounds. How far are they going to go? I'm not sure. I do that that all volunteers and vendors will go through a more extensive background check.
I'm not sure how this is going to fly for one time people visiting the school or how extensive the BG checks will be. I'm not even sure who is going to pick up the tab. They used to just run your DL and SS number, but now I'm not what to expect. I'll be talking to the principal next week about what to expect.
