Catholic Diocese to require child-safety training for all volunteers

ILLINOIS
The State Journal-Register

By STEVEN SPEARIE
The State Journal-Register

Posted Mar 11, 2012

Erin Sanchez has helped out as a volunteer for her son’s kindergarten parties and book fairs at Little Flower School in Springfield.

Like potentially thousands of volunteers throughout the Springfield Catholic Diocese, Sanchez will now be required to attend a child-safety program and undergo a criminal-background check as the diocese tightens rules designed to prevent sexual abuse of minors by chto urch personnel.

The new rules go into effect July 1.

“If it’s to safeguard the children, I see no problem with it,” said Sanchez, a Little Flower parishioner and a former teacher with the Springfield public schools.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.