Background Checks

Exactly who looks after our children while they are at school? And how does a school system make sure the people working with our kids don't have checkered pasts?

In his Assignment: Education report tonight, Bill Ratliff tells us about the measures Hillsborough County takes to check out its job applicants.

--[ Security Processor says off camera:] "Now we're going to do the left hand, and we're going to roll it towards you, o-k?"--

These aren't the hands of someone in trouble, just someone applying for one of many available jobs in the Hillsborough County School System. Fingerprinting is just part of a thorough criminal background check required by Florida law. It starts with a routine application, interview, and computer check with the local clerk of courts.

--[ David Freidberg says:] "Then we take the individual's fingerprints and we send them off to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and subsequently to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for a national agency check. The return time has been averaging about three weeks now."--

In Hillsborough County there are two full time people needed just to handle fingerprinting for job seekers...people like Jason Martinez, who wants to be a teacher's aide.

--[ Jason Martinez says:] "It's lengthy, but I think it's good. I mean I think it's necessary, actually. You know, working with kids, you can never be too cautious, I guess."--

Katie Yarlett landed a job as a substitute teacher.

--[ Katie Yarlett says:] "I think everyone should be screened. I wouldn't want to go to a place where they can be in danger."--

If everything checks out, then the new employee is cleared to continue work. Last year about four-thousand job seekers went through Hillsborough County's screening process. There are approximately 26-thousand full and part-time positions in the county school system.

This article was brought to you
straight from the desk of

in the Newsroom of