Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1963-06-06
Police Checks On Teachers

The School Boards latest controversial dctum that
all school personnel shall be subjected to police checks
properly drawing the fire of the teachers themselves as
well as county groups that have long been supporters Of
the school system
At the outset of any discussion of this subject should
be conceded that handful of known suspected homo
sexua and at least narcotics addict have been dis
covered the school payroll in the past few years 1t
would be extraordinary if this not the There
than $500 school employees and if that many persons
selected from any single occupation or profession
and Investigated closely equal greater number OF
such mdesirabes would undoubtedly be found.
1t should also be stated basic premise that a.
SO per cent or of all teachers and school system
ployes law abiding, respectable citizens and (2) that
having ones fngerprns taken and submitting to police
investigation is repugnant and demeanng to the average
American notable exception being those persons who
willingly submit to such procedure where our national
security is involved.
How then is school system to the tiny per-
centage Of undesrables?
In the past it was considered sufficient hereand still
Is In most school systems throughout the countryo hire
teachers who submit favorable recommendations with
their applications How teacher with criminal
record provide such recommendation from anyone?
But three and half years ago the county grand jury
urged fingerprnng of all school personnel The sugges-
on not Immediately complied with by the school sys-
tenn And States Attorney Leonard T. Hardy then de-
manded that the schools institute such system.
Accordingly the last School Board set up system
under which the school personnel department finger
printed all employees and forwarded the cards to the Fed
eral Bureau Of Investigation They were checked by the
FBI and returned to school administrators When was
warranted appropriate action taken result of the
confidential.
On January a. 1863 the grand jury studied the School
Boards system and reported that adequate safe
guards had been adopted to insure that undesirable cand
dates not employed" and that adequate provisions
have been made to insure condentaity Of records and
reports and to provide for appropriate rights of appeal
Despite this, the four new members of the School
Board have insisted that county police from shall
be given roster Of all school employees and be provided
with all fngerprins County police instead of school per-
sonnet officials from will forward fngeprnt cards
to the FBI and when they are returned them maintain
a file on all school personnel
vast majority of new teachers here hired from
various parts of the nation Local police know nothing
about them hence contribute nothing concerning them
So how local police aid in screening most teachers
when they apply?
Also, as opponents of the point out police
ords considerably accessible than confidential
school records that be looked at only by the
director and his assistant Almost of certainty there will
be scanning Of the police departments records school
personnel by persons who have such right.
Apparently the sole justification for the move is the
contention that police better qualified interpret the
FBI reports than school administrators But does this make
sense? Does not school personnel man know what
drunk means when the card back from the FBI?
Or he not ascertain what the offense was when the
FBI reports that applicant employee has been
victed of disorderly conduct?
But most Importantly why is there the firm nssence
of the School Board majority that this be done when the
grand jury which initiated the whole idea has given the
former procedure clean bill? Why?
If the new School Board members trying in this
to reduce teacher morale to lower point than
it has already sunk since last November they couldn't have
succeeded more admirably
AANlRtTNIIA NJ NORTHUMBERLAND