Importance of background checks…even when the person is an educator-background screening

When Hiring Teachers-
You may wonder why it’s important to do a background check on your applicants. After all, aren’t some of them full or part time teachers (or at least in the industry) and therefore have been vetted by the school or another agency? Well, the answer is…NO.
What happens is most schools and employers only conduct background checks when the employee starts a job. An employee can do A LOT of damage in just a few short years. It’s not unheard of of someone starting a teaching job with no criminal record, but have one within two years…and the school or employer not knowing it! So, to do your due diligence, it’s important for you to do a background check on all your apps-even if that person is already employed somewhere else. The important thing is not to make assumptions about what another employer may or may not have done in the past.
Let me give you an example: In the small town where I live, a 20 plus year teacher and coach recently kidnapped and murdered a 10 year old girl. Had the school done an investigation and/or background check on him in the last five years or so, they would have found he has a history of weird behavior. School employees complained of various strange behavior and he had a conviction on an unrelated incident. So, the moral of the story is always do your background check. In fact, the more information you know and the more databases you check, the better off you will be.
Next month: I’ll talk about the difference between a criminal charge and conviction and why it matters to you.