U.S. Senator Joe Manchin: Let’s protect our children in schools

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As a parent, as a grandparent and as a representative of the great state of West Virginia – inaction is not an option.

That is why Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., and I are introducing legislation – The Protecting Students from Sexual and Violent Predator Act – that would require all employees who work with our students pass a background check to make sure they have no criminal records or an abusive history. These employees include everyone from principals, teachers and secretaries, to bus drivers, cafeteria workers and janitors.

There are more than four million teachers and school staff employed by our public school districts across the United States. There are also millions of additional workers who have direct access to students. And yet, there is no national background check policy in place for the people who work every day directly with our kids.

Even worse, not all states require checks of child abuse and neglect registries or sex-offender registry checks. A recent report by the Government Accountability Office discovered that five states don’t require background checks at all for applicants seeking employment at our schools.

In addition, not all states use both state and federal sources of criminal data like a state law enforcement database or the FBI’s Interstate Identification Index. Our current system allows offenders to slip through the cracks.

This bill would simply establish uniform requirements for existing and prospective employees to undergo mandatory background checks, including state criminal registries, state child-abuse and neglect registries, an FBI fingerprint check, and a check of the National Sex Offender Registry.

More at Charleston Daily Mail:
http://www.charlestondailymail.com/article/20150212/DM04/150219826

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