Should parents who volunteer in schools be fingerprinted and subject to background checks?

[Anonymous]

Are parents who work with students without teacher oversight (after school clubs, for example) be required to meet background check requirements?

[Anonymous]

They should be!!!

[Anonymous]

Yes.

[Anonymous]

I think so. I'm in SF, and know that to help a coach on a sports team through a public school they need to be finger printed.

[Anonymous]

yes.

[Anonymous]

Yes, they should, but MCPS doesn't even have a good record of checking their own employees. There would also be costs and a time lag associated with such checks.

[Anonymous]

Yes. Definitely. I would certainly submit to this and can't think of a GOOD reason why any parent wouldn't.

[Anonymous]

In FCPS parents are not required to be fingerprinted for background checks. Why? Because the message would be that they're not welcome in their own child's school. Also it would be a barrier to many of our low-income families who would have to travel a distance to our main administrative building for this. We want parents engaged in what's happening at school. The assumption is that they are at school because they care about being involved.

For all other volunteers--anyone who is not a parent--they must be fingerprinted and a background check must be done. A volunteer badge is issued.

With ALL volunteers, whether a parent or outsider who has a badge, the rule is that none are left alone with any students. They cannot go into an empty room. They always need to be within view of teaching staff. So sitting in the hallway to read is fine. Going into an office with a child is not.

[Anonymous]

They don't even do it for subs or contract workers. Why bother for parent volunteers.

[Anonymous]

Yes. They are at my preschool.

[Anonymous]

They are not in MCPS because they are not supposed to be alone with the students. A staff member should always be with them if they are working with kids.

[Anonymous]

I don't think that is correct because after school programs are often run by volunteer parents and teachers are not necessarily present.

[Anonymous]

yes

[Anonymous]

Do you want parents involved in school and feeling comfortable going to school? If yes, don't require fingerprinting and background checks.

Do you think that the MCPS bureaucracy is already big enough? If yes, don't require fingerprinting and background checks.

[Anonymous]

I was shocked that background checks weren't required in Fairfax County when we moved. In our previous state, you could not get past the front office until your background check had been processed (no fingerprinting). You can't have lunch with your child, attend a field trip, visit the classroom..... Until your background check is submitted and processed. They also checked IDs every single time you came into the school. I volunteered tbree times a week and they still had to check my ID every time I walked into the school. And we lived in community with no real crime. I was really surprised at how laid back my kids' Fairfax elementary school was about security.