Many adults volunteer at local schools to support the students and staff. While this support is gratefully accepted, school administrators must remember their first concern is the care and protection of faculty and students. It is a priority and responsibility of schools to create a safe workplace and learning environment. One important tool available to school districts to help ensure their volunteers are appropriate is a comprehensive background check. Background checks can identify potential volunteers with criminal histories that may preclude them from being around students or on school property. It is crucial that schools consistently run comprehensive background checks on their employees and/or volunteers to make certain that they maintain a safe and productive school environment.
Recently a case came to light where a background check could have avoided a potentially dangerous situation. In Michigan, a man was arrested after he shot and killed two bailiffs within a courthouse. After the incident it was revealed that this man was a classroom volunteer at a local elementary school. Prior to the incident, it was also revealed this man had a lengthy criminal record. The school was unaware of his criminal past and claims they would not have allowed him to volunteer if they were aware. Following the shooting, the police also discovered a teenage girl in a shed that the shooter had raped and kept hostage.
It was found that the school never mandated a background check for this man before allowing him to volunteer. Unfortunately, the elementary school only runs background checks on their employees and not on their volunteers. The superintendent of the school district has stated that there will be major changes made and everyone at the school will now undergo a background screening.
Ensuring the safety of students and faculty members is something that should be a main focus and priority for all schools. It’s important that schools utilize all available tools to achieve this. Background screening is an important early step to help screen out inappropriate volunteers.
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