Every employer has a duty to make sure their workplace is safe for everyone on their team. Whether it’s a bustling factory or a quiet office, employees should feel confident that their employer has their back, keeping them safe from any potential risks. And when it comes to schools, this responsibility extends not only to the staff but also to creating a nurturing environment for students.
One vital part of this equation is background checks for teachers. They’re a crucial step for schools to ensure they’re doing their homework and living up to their obligations. While most folks in education understand the importance of these checks, not every school approaches them the same way.
Let’s dive into why background checks matter so much in education. We’ll also explore the specific types of checks schools typically run on their staff to maintain a safe environment for everyone involved – from students to visitors. Plus, we’ll take a peek at how these checks sometimes overlap with screening processes in other areas, like youth sports.
Teacher Background Checks
One key thing to understand about background checks in education is that they’re not all about teachers. While teachers play a central role in students’ lives, they’re just one part of the school community. There are many other staff members, like administrators, custodians, cafeteria workers, IT professionals, bus drivers, coaches, and more, who also need to undergo background checks.
Contrary to what some might think, not all school employees go through the same type of background check. The checks vary based on the specific job requirements. For example, a bus driver’s background check will likely focus on their driving history, which makes sense since their job involves driving. But for other roles, like custodial staff or cafeteria workers, a driving history check wouldn’t be necessary because they don’t typically drive as part of their job.
When it comes to teachers, their background checks are often the most comprehensive. That’s because they’re responsible for educating and supervising students, which puts them in a position of trust and authority. Unlike other staff members who might have limited interactions with students, teachers have regular, close contact with them.
Unfortunately, there’s a sad reality that schools need to be aware of – the risk of educator misconduct. Statistics from organizations like SESAME reveal that a concerning number of students report experiencing some form of sexual contact with adults, including teachers or coaches. This underscores the importance of thorough background checks for anyone working in education.
To become a teacher, individuals typically need to pass a background check as part of the licensing process. But schools and districts also conduct their own checks to ensure they’re not hiring anyone who could pose a risk to students. These checks are among the most detailed and rigorous in any industry, reflecting the importance of keeping schools safe for everyone involved.
What kinds of background checks do teachers undergo? Well, typically, teacher background checks cover several key areas:
Criminal history checks: These searches look into a person’s criminal record at various levels, such as county, state, or federal. Schools are particularly concerned about offenses like violence, sexual abuse, child abuse, or neglect. Other crimes, like drug offenses, might also raise red flags. For instance, here at backgroundchecks.com, we offer the US OneSEARCH, which scans through 650 million criminal records nationwide, including sex offender registries.
Professional license checks: Teachers need to be licensed and certified by the state to work in schools. So, schools often verify a candidate’s teacher certification before making a final hiring decision.
Education verifications: To become a licensed teacher, individuals must hold a teaching degree from an accredited college or university. Background checks often include education verification to ensure that a teacher’s claimed education and degree are legitimate.
Employment history checks: Like most other employee background checks, teacher checks involve looking into a person’s work history. This helps schools confirm the accuracy of the information provided on a teacher’s resume and gain insight into their professional background. If a teacher was dismissed from a previous job due to misconduct, this check would likely reveal that information.
Additionally, schools may conduct reference checks, reaching out to a teacher’s former employers or colleagues to learn more about their teaching style, work ethic, interactions with students, and other relevant characteristics.
Additional checks may also be included in teacher screenings. Drug testing is quite common, given that schools typically maintain strict drug-free policies in the workplace. Furthermore, some schools may opt for ongoing criminal monitoring for their teachers. This helps them stay informed if a current employee is arrested, charged, or convicted of a crime.
While some school districts (and even certain states) have established policies for their schools, these rules often rely on an honor system. Ongoing monitoring offers a more dependable way for schools to detect any recent criminal activity among their staff. Here at backgroundchecks.com, we’re pleased to offer our clients an affordable ongoing criminal monitoring service.
Faculty Members
In an educational setting, “faculty” primarily refers to the academic staff of a school, college, university, or other institution. This term is more commonly used in higher education rather than K-12 schooling, and we stick to that convention here. So, what types of background checks are typical for college faculty – such as professors, instructors, or lecturers?
The standards for background checks on college faculty tend to be less stringent compared to those for K-12 teachers. This is partly because college or university professors don’t face the same professional requirements or standards as primary or secondary school teachers.
While K-12 educators usually need teaching licenses and degrees in education, college professors often don’t require teaching certificates. Instead, colleges and universities seek individuals with expertise in specific fields or academic disciplines. Many college professors hold master’s or doctoral degrees in their area of study and are hired for research or other non-teaching roles. Even though they have professorial duties, teaching is not always their main focus.
Consequently, post-secondary institutions prioritize credentials and expertise in a particular academic field over general teaching qualifications or experience.
As you might expect, these varying expectations influence the types of background checks colleges and universities conduct on their faculty. For example, while professional license verifications are common in K-12 teacher background checks, they are less prevalent at the higher education level. Some colleges or universities may prefer their educators to hold certain certifications or credentials, but these requirements are usually verified through checks of candidates’ educational backgrounds and employment history.
One reason for the difference in background check practices between K-12 teachers and college professors is that college students are mostly adults. There is less regulation concerning how educators interact with older students compared to interactions with young children. However, this doesn’t mean that colleges and universities don’t have standards and codes of conduct for their faculty, nor does it imply that background checks for college faculty are unnecessary.
Most higher education institutions consider many of the same factors as K-12 school districts, including criminal history. They also monitor faculty for inappropriate behavior, such as romantic or sexual involvement with students. Overall, the rules, regulations, and background check requirements for higher education faculty are typically slightly more relaxed than those for K-12 teachers.
In addition to faculty checks, some colleges and universities also conduct background checks on incoming students. Statistics show that about two-thirds of all colleges nationwide now perform criminal background checks on at least some of their student applicants. Higher education institutions also review transcripts to ensure students meet admissions standards, including grades and coursework requirements. Background checks for incoming students are becoming more common in higher education to enhance campus safety for everyone.
Administrators
Another crucial group to consider in education is the administrative staff. While teachers and professors engage with students in the classroom or lecture hall, administrators oversee the operations of schools, districts, colleges, universities, or other educational institutions. This category primarily includes principals and vice principals, but it can also encompass superintendents, deputy, associate, or assistant superintendents, and their executive teams. At the higher education level, administrative roles may involve the president or chancellor of the institution, as well as positions such as dean or provost.
Administrators typically have less direct interaction with students compared to teachers or professors, although principals and vice principals often interact with students more frequently. However, these roles carry significant responsibility that directly influences the effectiveness of a school or district.
As a result, most educational administrators undergo background checks that are as thorough as those for teachers, if not more so. While less interaction with students may reduce the risk of abuse or misconduct involving students, administrators are responsible for various critical functions such as operations, curriculum, finances, labor relations, and legal matters.
Failures or abuses of power within these roles can have severe consequences for an educational institution. Schools recognize this risk and conduct background checks to ensure that their administrators are safe, experienced, qualified, and capable. The vetting process for administrators may include criminal background checks, verification of education and employment history, professional license checks, reference checks, and credit history checks.
Also falling within the administrative realm of schools are school boards and committees. While background checks were not always mandatory for these groups, more schools and districts now require them to undergo background screenings.
Volunteers
School volunteers often don’t get the same attention when it comes to background checks in education, but they play crucial roles in K-12 schools. They serve in various capacities, from classroom aides to tutors to chaperones for field trips. Some volunteer roles are short-term, like parents joining for a single field trip, while others are longer-term commitments. This variety in engagement lengths is one reason why school volunteer background check policies aren’t always as established as those for teachers or administrators.
However, the reality is that school volunteers often interact closely with children, sometimes even more so than administrators do. Therefore, every school or district must have clear protocols for vetting volunteers. Criminal background checks, searches of sex offender registries, and checks for child abuse or neglect history are crucial for all volunteer roles.
Additional background checks may depend on the specific role a volunteer will fill. For instance, volunteers who tutor students or assist in classrooms might be former teachers themselves.
Schools may want to verify their qualifications for these roles. Similarly, parents volunteering to drive for field trips should at least be required to provide a copy of their driver’s license to ensure it’s valid and in good standing.
Volunteers ease the workload for teachers, but unfortunately, they also have the potential to take advantage of vulnerable children. While schools often implement policies to prevent volunteers from being alone with students without supervision, these policies aren’t foolproof. Schools can enhance student safety by implementing background checks for all volunteers.
Youth Sports
Sports play a crucial role in the school experience for students of all ages. When done right, they can keep students engaged and provide opportunities for them to excel beyond the classroom. However, just like schools vet teachers to ensure they are safe and qualified, the same care should be taken when selecting coaches, assistant coaches, and other staff or volunteers involved in school sports.
Coaches often have a unique relationship with their athletes compared to teachers and students. This bond is usually less formal, resembling more of a friendship due to the emotional and physical nature of sports. While this closeness can lead to positive mentorship, it also poses risks if boundaries are crossed.
Verbal or physical abuse, sexual misconduct, drug use, and inappropriate relationships are all concerns when coaches don’t respect boundaries. Background checks are vital for minimizing these risks. Criminal background checks, especially for sex crimes or child abuse, are crucial. Additionally, checking employment history and references is essential. Sometimes, red flags may not show up as criminal convictions but can be uncovered through discussions with previous associates.
While most discussions about youth sports background checks focus on K-12, high-profile scandals like those involving Larry Nassar and Jerry Sandusky highlight the need for thorough vetting and oversight in higher education athletic programs too.
Bus drivers and school staff
The background check process in school districts isn’t just about teachers, coaches, and administrators. Numerous employee groups play crucial roles in keeping schools running smoothly, all of whom interact with students to some extent. To ensure students’ safety at all times, schools must have comprehensive background check policies in place for each of these employee groups.
Let’s start with bus drivers, who play a vital role in ensuring students arrive safely to school. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are over 360,000 school bus drivers in the United States responsible for transporting millions of children each year. For many students, the bus is their primary mode of transportation to school.
Since bus drivers often have sole responsibility for students during transit, criminal history checks, sex offender registry checks, and child abuse or neglect checks are essential components of their background checks. Schools should also verify their driver’s licenses to ensure they are qualified and have a safe driving record.
Other school employees may have limited contact with students, but they still require vetting. Custodians, maintenance staff, grounds workers, and cafeteria workers should all undergo criminal background checks and sex offender searches before working in a school environment.
FAQs
What background checks do schools do?
The answer depends on the job at hand. However, most schools typically conduct a variety of background checks, including criminal background checks, registry checks for sex offenders or child abuse history, verification of education and professional licenses, employment history and reference checks, and drug tests. Certain positions may also require specific background checks tailored to the role, like driving history checks for bus drivers or credit history checks for administrators handling financial matters.
Do Schools do background checks on parents?
Most parents won’t need to undergo a school background check. However, those who volunteer for school activities like tutoring, chaperoning field trips, coaching youth sports, or assisting in classrooms may need to undergo a criminal background check before working with children.
Why do schools run volunteer background checks?
Volunteers often spend a lot of time with students, sometimes even taking on roles similar to employees, such as coaching or tutoring. With such close interactions, there’s a risk that volunteers could potentially exploit or harm students. To reduce this risk, schools typically require background checks for volunteers, similar to the checks done for teachers and staff.