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No go for bill to bar felons from school jobs
Written by Todd Engdahl on Feb 22nd, 2010. | Copyright © EdNewsColorado.org
I found it worthy of comment that nobody else commented on this, and that the Post did not cover it in its own pages, since to me it is a matter of public import. Thanks, Nancy, for mentioning it yourself.
The reason I feel so strongly that the legislation should have been implemented is that many people working in non-educational positions within school districts are (a) hands-on to children and/or (b) hands-on to money or goods belonging to the public. These activities simply are inconsistent with those whose backgrounds are dimmed by felony convictions — not all such convictions, granted, but some of them.
The odds that someone with a sexual interest in children, for instance, will take a job for a school district is quite high in my humble opinion. (Some gunmen also target schools for the same reason: there are kids in there.) Without being offensively explicit on these public pages or suggesting anything improper on the part of those serving children, I’d point out that some children require diapering and other attention to their most intimate daily functions, so the people we assign to assist them should be strictly regulated — and higher paid. Calling them “paraprofessionals” and hoping they won’t re-offend doesn’t do it for me, especially when some children may be unwilling or unable to report offenses.
Anybody who has been convicted of a felony theft shouldn’t be where public goods or accounts are handled, either.
Those most aware of the risk to the public of incorrect hiring, evaluation and retention policies are those who’ve most pondered the day-to-day operations and activities of these public entities. I was disappointed the bill didn’t go forth and hope to see it proposed again in the future. We shouldn’t wait for somebody to do something awful, but address that potential in advance by vetting ALL district workers more carefully and consistently.