Summer vacation for kids across the country will come to an end and that means back to school.  Once school begins so does after school programs like sports, theatre and other extra curricula activities.  This is why it should be paramount that all volunteers involved with after school activities undergo a thorough and vigorous background screening including a comprehensive criminal background check.

It is believed that if all potential coaches, instructors, and related volunteers are aware of a pending background check as part of becoming an employee or volunteer that the actual background check itself will act as a barrier to entry for potential predators and malfeasant individuals.  They may think twice or forgo completely their application for a full-time, part-time or volunteer position if they know that a comprehensive background check will be performed on them.

These positions even including volunteer positions have a history of people committing crimes on children.

In Carmel, Indiana a volunteer swim coach was recently arrested for Sexual Exploitation of a Minor.  FOX59 from Indianapolis covered the story:

“An assistant swim coach at Carmel High School faces federal charges after prosecutors say he had sex with one of his athletes.

… is charged with sexual exploitation of a minor and possession of child pornography. U.S. Marshals took him into custody Tuesday. A detention hearing was set for July 10.”  ^{fox59.com/2018/07/05/carmel-assistant-swim-coach-accused-of-having-sex-with-student-athlete-faces-federal-charges/}

Any after school program or activity that allows for interaction with children, an at-risk-population, must ensure that all the adults involved whether employees or volunteers undergo a proper vetting process including thorough background checks that query the national sex offender registry and criminal court conviction records.

If all such employees and volunteers that have unsupervised time with children underwent a full and comprehensive background check this could greatly reduce the chances of recidivism and may assist in protecting this at-risk segment of the US population.

To read more about this subject read recent press release found here: Volunteers Should Always Pass a Vigorous Background Check; Opines CriminalBackgroundRecords.com