Student safety extends far beyond the classroom. Throughout the school year, children may interact with teachers, coaches, tutors, volunteers, bus drivers, mentors, contractors, and staff involved in extracurricular and after-school programs. Each of these individuals can play an important role in a child’s experience, and organizations should take appropriate steps to help ensure that those entrusted with working with children are suitable for their positions.
Children are a vulnerable population, which makes diligent background screening especially important. A comprehensive screening process can help organizations identify information that may be relevant to an individual’s suitability for a role and provide an additional layer of protection for students, families, and the organization itself.
As schools and youth focused organizations prepare for another busy year, background screening should be viewed as more than a hiring requirement. It is an important part of creating a safe environment where children can learn, participate, and thrive.
Who Should Be Screened?
When developing a screening program, organizations should consider everyone who may have regular or unsupervised access to children, not just traditional school employees.
Teachers and administrators are obvious examples, but a comprehensive screening policy should also account for the many individuals who become part of a student’s environment throughout the school year. Coaches, athletic staff, tutors, volunteers, mentors, substitute staff, transportation personnel, contractors, and after-school program employees may all interact with students on a regular basis.
Extracurricular activities deserve particular attention. Sports teams, music and arts programs, academic clubs, summer programs, field trips, and after-school activities often introduce additional adults into children’s lives. These programs can be an important part of a student’s development and experience, but they should also be incorporated into an organization’s overall screening strategy.
The goal is not simply to check a box. Organizations should evaluate each position based on its responsibilities, level of access to children, and potential risk, then establish screening requirements that are appropriate for the role.
What Should a Comprehensive Background Screening Include?
There is no single background check that is appropriate for every position. A strong screening program should be built around the responsibilities of the role and the level of access an individual will have to students.
Depending on the position, a comprehensive screening package may include:
- Criminal record searches to identify potentially relevant criminal history.
- National database searches to provide a broad initial search and identify records that may require further investigation.
- County and state-level searches to provide additional depth and help identify records that may not appear in a database search alone.
- Sex offender registry searches as an important consideration for individuals working with children.
- Identity verification and address history to help confirm an individual’s identity and identify jurisdictions that may warrant additional research.
- Employment and education verifications when the position requires specific experience, credentials, or qualifications.
- Motor vehicle record searches for employees or volunteers who transport students.
- Professional license verification when a position requires a specific license or credential.
- Social media screening, when appropriate and conducted in a compliant manner, to identify publicly available information that may be relevant to an individual’s suitability for the position.
The most important consideration is that organizations should not rely on a single search and assume it provides a complete picture. Layering appropriate searches based on the position can create a more thorough screening process and help organizations make better-informed hiring and placement decisions.
Don’t Overlook After-School and Extracurricular Programs
The school day may end, but student interactions with adults do not.
After school programs, athletics, clubs, tutoring, childcare, mentoring, and other activities can extend the number of hours children spend under the supervision of adults. These programs are valuable opportunities for students, but they also create additional points where organizations should consider their screening practices.
Organizations should review who is working, volunteering, or providing services within these programs and determine whether their screening requirements are consistent with the level of access those individuals have to children.
This is especially important when programs involve volunteers or seasonal staff. Because these individuals may not follow the same hiring process as full-time employees, organizations should make sure they are not unintentionally creating gaps in their screening procedures.
Why Ongoing Monitoring Can Add Another Layer of Protection
A background check provides information based on what is available at the time the search is conducted, but circumstances can change after an individual is hired.
Ongoing background monitoring can provide organizations with an additional layer of awareness by alerting them to certain reportable records or changes that occur after the initial screening. Rather than relying solely on a pre employment check, organizations can consider whether continued monitoring is appropriate for positions involving regular access to children.
Monitoring should not replace a thorough pre employment background check. Instead, it can complement the initial screening process and provide another tool for organizations seeking to maintain awareness throughout an individual’s time with the organization.
For schools and youth serving organizations, this can be particularly valuable because employees, coaches, volunteers, and other personnel may remain in positions of trust for months or years after their initial background check was completed.
Build a Consistent Screening Process
A strong background screening program is about more than the individual searches being ordered. Organizations should also establish clear, consistent procedures for when screening occurs, which searches are required for each position, how results are reviewed, and when rescreening or monitoring should take place.
Screening requirements should be based on legitimate job related considerations and applied consistently. Organizations should also make sure their processes comply with the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and applicable state and local requirements.
As laws and regulations continue to evolve, staying informed is an important part of maintaining a compliant screening program. Working with a knowledgeable background screening provider can help organizations understand their responsibilities and build screening packages that align with their specific needs.
Protecting Students Takes a Comprehensive Approach
No background screening program can eliminate every potential risk, and screening should be one part of a broader approach to student safety. Strong policies, appropriate supervision, staff training, clear reporting procedures, and thoughtful hiring practices all play an important role. However, diligent background screening remains an important first line of defense.
As a new school year begins, organizations have an opportunity to review their screening practices and ask an important question: Are we doing enough to understand who we are allowing to work with the children in our care?
Taking the time to evaluate screening requirements, include extracurricular and after-school personnel, and consider ongoing monitoring can help organizations strengthen their overall approach to student safety.
At GIS, we believe background screening should be more than a transaction. GIS combines advanced screening technology with a personalized, human approach to help organizations build screening programs that fit their positions, processes, and compliance requirements. From comprehensive background checks to ongoing monitoring, our team is available to help organizations strengthen their screening practices and make informed decisions throughout the school year.
For questions or concerns regarding your background screening process, please contact us.