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More changes likely for school background check policy |
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Wednesday, 09 January 2008 |
Cliff Buchan
News Editor
Tougher regulations involving criminal background checks of employees, contractors and volunteers appear likely in ISD 831. The school board, meeting in regular session on Thursday, Jan. 3, agreed to call a special meeting to further discuss its background check policy. No date for that session has been scheduled as of press time this week.
Once the discussion has taken place, the board’s policy committee will be asked to take a new look at the policy that covers background checks.
The matter arose last week as part of the continuing discussion surrounding an alleged sexual assault incident involving a Community Education instructor and a 15-year-old female student.
Criminal charges have been filed in the case which is alleged to have taken place from last spring to late this fall with some of the incidents taking place in school parking lots.
The instructor, a 48-year-old Wyoming Township man who was hired as an independent contractor by the department, is no longer teaching the martial arts class. He was hired without undergoing a criminal background check which is not required by state law for independent contractors.
That fact, coupled with last year’s lengthy review of the policy, is now motivating the school board to revisit the policy again early this year.
Blame game
Last week’s discussion came with an attempt by board members David Gay and Eric Langness to assign blame in the matter to Superintendent Lynn Steenblock.
In opening discussion on the matter, Gay said it was his intent to hold Steenblock accountable. He moved to request disciplinary action against Steenblock, with the second coming from Langness.
In criticizing Steenblock for not playing a more active role in the matter, Gay expanded his complaint to include an incident last spring where a district youth riding in a contract van was killed in a crash.
The driver of the contract van was not subject to a background check and was found to have a controlled substance in his system at the time of the crash which also took his life.
The van driver was hired by TIES, an education technology collaborative based in St. Paul, which provided the transportation service to ISD 831 under a contract.
Gay argued that it was vital for the district to have rules and policies in place that protect students and staff. To date, he said, no one in the district has taken responsibility for the incidents.
That brought a response from board member Joe Grafft who is the ISD 831 representative to the TIES board. Grafft said Forest Lake had no control over hiring decisions made by TIES which has since taken steps involving new background check procedures for its workers.
“I think you are going way out of line here,” Grafft said, defending Steenblock’s role in the matter.
Board President Bill Bresin said later that he wished Gay would have raised his concerns in some other fashion. “I think he (Gay) went a little overboard,” Bresin said. “We all have our own styles.”
Bresin said he did not believe it was fair to assess blame to Steenblock over a matter in which he had no direct control. “I don’t think that is fair at all,” he said. “The board decides policy.”
While the board has the authority to require background checks of anyone in the schools, it did not mandate it within the policy.
In the end last Thursday, Gay agreed to pull back his motion to allow time for discussion. That will set the stage for the next board review.
What next?
The special meeting will be an opportunity for the board to go into detail on what it expects from the policy and to review comprehensive safety issues.
The latter was on the mind of Langness. He said he would welcome a closed meeting of the board, allowed under new homeland security rules, to discuss district-wide security issues.
Regarding background checks, Langness said it was clear that all independent contractors who have contacts with students should be required to have criminal background checks. He would not apply the requirement to contractor employees who are working for the district under a contract for building repairs or maintenance.
Board member Rob Rapheal, who serves on the policy committee, said the change in the board policy on volunteer background checks was part of a stepped approach to address student safety. At the time, he said, the board agreed to expand the policy only so far. The new policy addressed volunteers who work with students off campus
A new look this winter will be an extension of the process, Rapheal said.
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