Hot for Teacher – background checks, that is
The Austin American-Statesman wants the results of background checks conducted by the Austin School Board, but the school board and the The Association of Texas Professional Educators doesn’t want to give it to them. The District Attorney apparently ruled that “part of the information was not exempt from the public information laws.” Now the association [...]
Church Accountant steals $200,000 from her own place of worship
In a shocking case in Torrance Superior Court, a church accountant embezzled approximately $200,000 from her employer, Church of the Beach Cities. She plead no contest to one count of embezzlement and was sentenced to two years in prison. She had been attending the church for approximately six years. In addition to her position as office manager, [...]
Church background checks? Screening the volunteers in the pews
The recent landmark lawsuits against the Catholic Church have made American churches more aware of their need to conduct background checks on all volunteers and church officials. Trustees and Deacons are re-evaluating their hiring and volunteer programs to minimize harm to their church members, especially children. The Baptist press recently quoted a church member: “I recommend that any church conduct [...]
Running background checks on camp counselors
The Ohio Senate is looking into a new bill that would require background checks to be conducted on camp counselors. Timothy Keil, a camp volunteer, was caught sexually molesting a child inside a cabin at a Perry County youth camp. His crime revealed a loophole that legislators are working to close. The state requires background [...]
Background Checks for Fire Volunteers
Prisoners and inmates are sometimes used to fight fires, but now it seems that some New Jersey ex-cons may not be. At the suggestion of the Monmouth County Fire Marshal, the council looked into performing background checks for all public safety volunteers. The new background check policy will apply to all volunteers for the Borough [...]
Why you should conduct background checks on volunteers
PNN online has a piece about a troubling lack of background checks on volunteers by the nation’s nonprofit organizations. One in three U.S. nonprofit organizations conducts no background checks on volunteers, and roughly one in eight does no screening at all. Accordingly, two-thirds of all nonprofits are conducting some type of background screening for their [...]