|
Many schools, colleges and universities have recently been
in the news because of teachers and professionals having criminal
backgrounds as well as a history of drug abuse. When there
is a lack of an education background check, this is what can
happen.
Parents as well as other educators are now up in arms over
the lack of screening when it comes to hiring teachers for
all age groups. The public is screaming for the education
board to be accountable and take responsibility to hire teachers
who have been subject to an education background check and
if they haven’t or refuse to, then do not hire them
at all.
In Massachusetts for example, the school boards are deciding
that perhaps taking it off of their shoulders is the best
decision. They do not want to be held accountable for the
screening because if they slip up, they will be responsible
if something is discovered about one of their teachers. Therefore,
they are now getting professionals who are performing the
education background check.
There is now a consensus that all prospective educators be
screened on a local, state, county and federal level. After
all, these professionals are dealing with our children and
their future. Whenever anyone interacts with children, young
adults or even college age students, they should always be
given an education background check across the board, bar
none.
In Houston, Texas, the Senate passed a bill that requires
all public school teachers to get fingerprinted to be checked
for a national education background check and criminal search.
That was a large undertaking having to fingerprint 200,000
teachers. But they felt it was necessary because of what is
happening in today’s schools.
New Jersey, after performing a search, found four employees
with felonies teaching school age children. Later another
one was found, but because of an incomplete education background
check, that one was allowed to teach for a long time without
being discovered.
In a Philadelphia School District, a teacher again slipped
through the cracks because when doing a search, only did background
checks in Pennsylvania. The teachers were not fingerprinted
and weren’t checked nationwide. Therefore, there was
a teacher working with seven year olds who was convicted of
a sex crime.
Doing an education background check is no longer a luxury.
It is now a necessity. And it should be done in every school
in every state, city and town in this country and others.
|
