A recent exposé by the Chicago Tribune found that ineffective background checks exposed students to educators with criminal convictions and arrests for sex crimes against children.
At least nine of the 72 Chicago school workers identified by the Tribune as being accused of abusing students since 2008 had prior arrests related to alleged sexual offenses involving children, or drug, weapons, assault or theft allegations that signaled they could be a threat to children, the Tribune found.
The investigation found that, while the nature of the original arrests and charges didn’t necessarily disqualify some candidates from a position in the school district, a deeper look into the underlying facts that led to those arrests could have uncovered troubling information that would have aided school administrators in making better hiring decisions.
But Chicago Public Schools is not alone when it comes to serious lapses in the background screenings for school personnel.
According to FLORIDA TODAY, a 2017 audit of public schools in Brevard County found that at least 27 community coaches had not undergone background checks, as required every five years by state law, and in some cases, an employee had gone 10 years without a background check.
Like Chicago, the Brevard County audit and subsequent changes were a reaction to the news that an elementary school principal was arrested on federal child porn charges in June 2016. That event prompted the district to conduct more in-depth background checks of school personnel and candidates seeking employment in Brevard County schools.
A recent in-depth USA TODAY investigation found background checks to be most effective when criminal histories and work histories are conducted before a teacher is given the credentials needed to secure a job at a school. While Florida does require state screening of school personnel, it was found that system needs improvement. Illinois was also assigned an overall grade of C, in part because of weak screening, which is left to local school districts.
In the wake of the Tribune investigation, Chicago Public Schools has committed to backgrounding all current and future employees, including screening contract workers who have daily contact with children, as well as obtaining fingerprints from as many as 13,000 employees whose fingerprints are not on file. Forty-five thousand employees will undergo the screenings at an anticipated cost of approximately $2 million.
The Chicago public school system has signaled a strong commitment to backgrounding their employees, but does this signal meaningful and lasting change?
The hallmarks of an effective background screening process are accountability and consistency without subjectivity. This is best achieved by utilizing a highly qualified, independent third-party background screening provider to thoroughly vet candidates in accordance with those standards established by Chicago Public Schools. This is what is needed to restore credibility now and to help ensure the safety of all students.
Christopher J. Mahon and Sarah Q. Nasir are the founding partners of Integrity 1 Solutions. They provide investigative and risk advisory services. Both previously held senior roles with the New York City Business Integrity Commission (BIC).
