Background Checks Law Impacts Many

By Joshua Sterling
Titusville Herald
March 19, 2015

http://www.titusvilleherald.com/news/article_45c546a6-13bf-550f-b6ad-6e81149a0615.html

Due to a new state law intended to protect children from sexual abuse, a response to the Jerry Sandusky case at Penn State University, any employee or volunteer who has "routine interaction" with children is required to obtain extensive background checks, every three years.

On Oct. 22, 2014, House Bill 435 was signed into law, becoming Act 153.

The law went into effect Dec. 31.

Now, employers and volunteer groups are making the effort to get their people through required background checks, which can range between $10 to nearly $50 per person.

Those required to submit to the background checks and not doing so could face civil and criminal penalties.

Who needs clearances?

For volunteers, the answer is, beginning July 1, any adult applying for an unpaid position as a volunteer responsible for the welfare of a child or having direct contact with children.

For employees, the law affects any employee of a child care service, a self-employed family daycare provider, an individual 14 years of age or older applying for a paid position as an employee responsible for the welfare of a child or having direct contact with a child care facility or program.

Titusville Area School District, on Thursday, in cooperation with the United Way of the Titusville Region, held the first of two fingerprinting sessions at Titusville High School, for any local employers or groups to send their workers and volunteers for the FBI criminal history portion of the three required background checks.

Other requirements include a Pennsylvania State Police background check and a child abuse history clearance from the state Department of Human Services. These two background checks can be done online.

However, any worker subject to the background check law who has been a Pennsylvania resident for more than 10 years is exempt from the FBI portion.

Karen Jez, Titusville Area School District (TASD) superintendent, said that even companies the district contracts work to are required to have its employees comply with background checks.

"For example, with our high school renovation for the new district offices, every person that comes into that building to work on the renovation has to have all their clearances. And, we have to keep a copy of them, on site."

Jez said that further clarification is needed to discern whether or not the school district's bread supplier needs to do the same.

Since the bread is delivered at 6 a.m., when no children are in the school, the requirement may not be there.

She said there really are few people the new law doesn't affect.

"There are so many diverse and unique kinds of situations that we have to work through with all of these new regulations," Jez explained. "These laws are in effect for anybody that has contact with kids — like Dairy Queen, or the YMCA, or YWCA. All your youth wrestling and youth football. Any organization or service club, anybody that is around kids has to adhere to these same clearance guidelines."

Since there are no FBI-licensed fingerprinting labs in Titusville, TASD and the local United Way shared the $300 daily cost of bringing the mobile lab to Titusville Thursday, and today, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Jez estimated that the clearances are costing the TASD approximately $19,000 for the more than 400 people in and around Titusville connected to the district.

And, since children are such a big part of churches, employees and volunteers at the many religious outlets are making sure to get their workers covered.

The Rev. Terry Purvis-Smith, interim pastor at First Presbyterian Church, said the law is a good thing for the state, and that the church is working it into their own literature.

"We're fully committed to it," Smith said. "We've integrated this into our child safety policy. And, we're in the process of securing the required certifications from the state and the FBI. The church is paying for all of that."

Smith added "nobody who works with children is exempt."

He said several of his church's members will get fingerprinted at the high school, today.

Smith said the new law protects both children and volunteers.

"The law may be a response to the Sandusky event, but, from our perspective, all institutions are challenged to protect children. We really are glad to cooperate with this effort."

He said there will be staff and volunteer training at the church on Tuesday, and "no one has raised objection. This is a benefit for children and also a protection for people who work with children — because it raises our standards."

A new church policy calls for there to always be two adults involved in any work with children.

"It merits our full support," he said.

Contact: jsterling@titusvilleherald.com