Criminal Background Checks

[jennypenny]

This note came home from DS's school:
"...if you are considering volunteering in your child’s school this year or perhaps chaperoning a class trip, please be aware that to do so you will be required to complete a criminal background check and child abuse clearance in advance."

This isn't some school form I need to fill out. It's a full criminal background check and child abuse clearance from the state. The state form asks for things like List everyone who lived with you at any time since 1975 to the present. It seems like a huge invasion of privacy just to chaperone a class trip or volunteer at a holiday party. When I asked a couple of parents about it, I got the "If you have nothing to hide, what's the big deal?" argument.

Do people get background checks for everything now? Am I just out of touch?

[jacob]

Guessing background checking is some kind of CYA management move... especially since it seems to be turning into some form over function with background checks being outsourced. Demonstrations of the tragic failure of this approach seem to occur on an almost weekly basis.

I understand that in the business, it's called "security theater". The purpose is to appease the sheeple.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Security_theater

[Chad]

I agree with Jacob. This is mostly theater. There is a good chance that if you (not suggesting you do ) do have some type of criminal background you would just slide through anyway. Most of the companies this is outsourced to will probably only do a cursory check, as they bid/charge too low to cover their real expenses.

This is just another foolish attempt to make our lives 100% safe and it's never going to happen. But, we will manage to make our lives 100% miserable with the bureaucracy these rules create.

When I asked a couple of parents about it, I got the "If you have nothing to hide, what's the big deal?" argument.

That statement along with a handful of others always makes me want to punch the other person in the face. The stupidity of it almost deserves violence.

[Papers of Indenture]

That statement along with a handful of others always makes me want to punch the other person in the face. The stupidity of it almost deserves violence.

I hear this all the time around my office and have the same reaction. Just another thing to repeat because everyone is to lazy to do some independent thinking.

[GandK]

My school district doesn't require this (yet). However, since about 52% of violent crimes still go unreported (http://www.allgov.com/news/top-stories/ ... ews=844943), and since most such crimes committed as juveniles are wiped from the perpetrator's permanent record when they turn 18, I completely agree that this is theater. Background checks would catch only a fraction of those who truly had a criminal history, and many people who might harm a child if a specific situation presented itself have never done so before. The only purpose of such an act is to prevent a lawsuit. The district can now claim that it did due diligence if something goes wrong.

[jacob]

So the theatric benefits to be specific

Dumb criminals are deterred because they see the risk higher than it is
Dumb people take on more risk because they see the risk lower than it is
Smart criminals go right ahead
Smart people are hassled

One could also distinguish between dumb security personel and smart security personel, dumb and smart decision makers, ... leading to the depressing conclusion that OMG I'm surrounded by clowns?!

But I have to live in this world, so ...

This is why I save a copy of all my background check material. First time around it took days to figure out a phone number/contact for any place I worked 15 years ago and what kind of organizations I belonged to at age 11 such as the Donald Duck Club ... now it's only a 20 minute job.

[George the original one]

Several things going on... first is that background checks for those supervising children are common because few parents trust strangers with their children.

Second is the EXPANSION of "protections" for children. For example, Oregon passed a new law effective at the start of 2013 that requires ALL state & local government employees to report any suspected child abuse 24/7, possibly even when visiting another state. Training for this reporting is minimal (a 12-minute powerpoint video in my case); if you have a difficult child who has a bad moment in the store, you could be reported & have to endure a child welfare investigation.

Third is that background checks are useless for those who have changed their identity. There was a case here in the Pacific Northwest of a guy who was an illegal alien that managed to become a highly placed school official, like principal or superintendent. As I recall, the illegal alien part came out only due to a murder investigation linked to his childhood and a stolen identity!

[Chad]

But I have to live in this world, so ...

This is why I save a copy of all my background check material. First time around it took days to figure out a phone number/contact for any place I worked 15 years ago and what kind of organizations I belonged to at age 11 such as the Donald Duck Club ... now it's only a 20 minute job.

The only problem is we end up with a new "20 minute job" for all manner of things far too often and they add up.

[jennypenny]

I asked the school about it today. She told me it was all to make the kids safer...how could I object to protecting the kids...don't I want to protect the kids from predators...blah blah blah. I hate that kind of emotional blackmail argument. I told her if they were really interested in keeping the kids safe they would make them wear seatbelts on the school bus. She dodged and said that wasn't her call. Then she gave me the hairy eyeball and asked if they should mark me down on the "list of parents who refused to have their child abuse history checked." Holy shit I was mad at that point, but I bit my tongue and just said to hold off so I could think about it. There is no way I'm doing it, but I didn't want my name on some watch list in the office.

I realize it's mostly for show. I understand why employees in schools should do this, or coaches or scout leaders or similar positions where the adult spends time alone with the child. It still seems like too much to me just so I can work the book fair or help out at a classroom party.

[Chad]

I don't know how you didn't let her have it.

I realize it's mostly for show. I understand why employees in schools should do this, or coaches or scout leaders or similar positions where the adult spends time alone with the child. It still seems like too much to me just so I can work the book fair or help out at a classroom party.

I completely agree with your above. Coaches, school employees, etc. should all have background checks, but when there are going to be 2 or more chaperones with at least one full time employee there is no reason to do background checks on the chaperones/volunteers.

[Ego]

Won't be long before the kids themselves will have to be livescanned to participate in any extra-curricular activities. They'll use the same argument.

Here in Socal we have a school district in a perfectly safe suburban residential area that decided it is too dangerous for kids, even high schoolers, to ride bikes to school.

[George the original one]

NIMBY FUD

[jennypenny]

Here in Socal we have a school district in a perfectly safe suburban residential area that decided it is too dangerous for kids, even high schoolers, to ride bikes to school.

Yeah, it's much safer to have teenagers driving around in cars.

When I told my kids about it, they said people in Stepford are suspicious of me because I'm subversive. Of course in Stepford, doing your own nails counts as subversive.

[Dragline]

We had these "full checks" for a couple years, but they have scaled them back.

They are mostly cya, especially by organizations who have been burned by pedophiles in the past. I understand that concern, but that's not too hard to check for that anymore and it shouldn't require the third degree. Overkill is still overkill.

The unhappy fact is that pedophiles do seek out opportunities to interact with kids and organizations have failed to police their own in the past, whether its schools, church groups, scouting or Penn State. No organization that involves children is immune. But most of them should worry more about their regular employees, which is where most of the abuse has occurred.

[sshawnn]

wrt to OP.
The Indiana chapter of USA Swimming instituted background checks for officials a couple of years ago mostly as a
CYA response to this http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/Swimming/

It took one of our officials half the season to get his credentials. He is a commercial pilot, but the company running the background checks dug up an old DUI that they said was not properly amended.

Most officials did not complain about the intrusion into our personal lives, just the $40 we each had to pay.

The real irony in this was/is that swimming officials in our meets are NEVER in close confines with the children or exposed to them in any more depth than the average person who can drift in off the street for no admission.

[Chad]

Just spoke to a former police officer with over 20 years of experience who now currently works part time for a company that does these background check. This person said the checks are basically useless, as they don't get the appropriate resources. No access to databases listing wanted or convicted felons. The person stated they have to go to the police district you live in and ask for your record. They get the record, but it's only the record for that district. If you live in Hoboken, NJ, but take the subway to Manhattan and commit a crime...they won't know, because they don't have the resources to make all the checks needed.

This person also noted that all they do is go through a questionnaire for the background interviews, so no intelligent questioning. No digging.

[jennypenny]

FYI ... I am officially banned from my son's Halloween party today at school because I refused to fill out the paperwork.

[Spartan_Warrior]

Ugh, that is the worst. I feel for you since I know I would also refuse that kind of bullshit. Sadly, not a lot that can be done about it, except maybe voting with your feet, and even that won't help for long since this kind of shit only seems to be getting more frequent. "Security theater", indeed. We've become a nation of it.

[GandK]

FYI ... I am officially banned from my son's Halloween party today at school because I refused to fill out the paperwork.

This is disgusting.

[Seneca]

FYI ... I am officially banned from my son's Halloween party today at school because I refused to fill out the paperwork.

Whoa man. Sorry this happened to you.

My wife would not want to tell me if that happened to her as I might end up on a warpath that would probably do nobody any good.