Crimes are being committed, and school districts are being sued because they did not seek pertinent data that would have revealed past crimes and misbehaviors. But at the very least, your local police department should be able to check an applicant's record with the National Criminal Information Center within 24 hours. Evaluate employees, and remove those who are incompetent or pose a risk to children. School boards are responsible for the performance of every employee under their supervision. In addition to establishing job performance criteria and an equitable system of periodic observations and evaluations, your board should develop a system for recognizing and dealing with employees who are arrested for criminal offenses.
Every case involving the arrest of a school employee demands the board's full attention and review.
Action can be taken at the local or state level. For example, although not required to do so by state law, the Indianapolis Public Schools has a districtwide policy requiring school officials to run two criminal background checks on all employees annually, one every six months. And Idaho has a state law that provides for background checks on new employees and authorizes background checks on current employees who have been on the job for five years or less. Stay in touch with students. Visit schools, talk with kids, see what their typical days are like, listen to their worries, and encourage parents and teachers to do the same.