Saturday, November 06, 1999
School helpers may face checks
Bill for background on volunteers
BY ANDREA TORTORA
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Parents and community members who want to volunteer in Kentucky schools could be required to undergo a criminal background check under legislation proposed by State Rep. Jon Draud, R-Crestview Hills.
Most of Northern Kentucky's 18 school districts already require some kind of checks on volunteers, as do Cincinnati Public Schools.
The bill would make schools pay for the $4 investigations of regular volunteers or those who supervise students at a school site or on a school trip.
“I think this is common sense,” said Mr. Draud, a former school superintendent. “There's going to be some cost involved, but we're talking about protecting kids from someone who might harm them.”
Mr. Draud filed the bill for consideration in the 2000 General Assembly.
Some Northern Kentucky superintendents said they support the idea of monitoring who is allowed into school buildings, but cautioned they do not have the thousands of dollars it would take to pay for the process.
Boone County Schools is a good example. Superintendent Bryan Blavatt said the district had 31,000 volunteers last year. That would add up to $124,000 for background checks.
Of the districts already doing checks, most take fingerprints and run them through the Justice Cabinet. Others, like Bellevue, use a free service provided by the Administrative Office of the Courts.
Mr. Draud's bill would allow schools to use either service. He also wants to give schools the flexibility to decide who needs a background check.
Northern Kentucky legislators who serve on House and Senate Education Committees said they support background checks for volunteers but were concerned about the costs. State Rep. Charlie Walton, R-Florence, said he'd like to see a state agency that can do them for free.
Several states, including Florida and Utah, require schools to investigate volunteers, according to the Education Commission of the States. The National School Safety Center offers guidelines and sample screenings school districts can use.
“We have been encouraging schools around the country to start comprehensive screening programs,” said Ronald Stephens, center director.
In Northern Kentucky, Boone County, Fort Thomas, Southgate and Williamstown, schools do not do criminal histories for volunteers. The Silver Grove school board is talking about implementing the checks sometime this year.
Bellevue Superintendent Dr. Ora Cobb said the checks are invaluable.
“In the last year alone, we caught two individuals who had felony convictions for crimes against children,” Dr. Cobb said. “Had we not had this in place, we would not have caught them.”
There are between 500 and 600 volunteers in Bellevue, which started doing criminal histories through the Administrative Office of the Courts three years ago.
Campbell County Schools started the checks this year and saw the number of volunteers triple, from 400 to 1,200. The district pays for the $4 tests.
“This does not deter people,” district spokesman Chris Gramke said. “We feel we are being proactive and showing that the safety of the kids is a priority.”
Boone County, which does not do background screenings, does provide training and a code of ethics for volunteers, Mr. Blavatt said.
The district ensures that volunteers are never alone with students.
“Volunteers, by definition, work in conjunction with teachers and staff,” Mr. Blavatt said. “They should never be alone with a child, whether they've gone through a background check or not.”
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