School officials say checks of job candidates take too much time

The Associated Press

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. -- St. Joseph school officials say checking out a prospective district employee's background often takes too much time.

They say the state's long process leads to would-be hires being lost to other jobs. Meanwhile, they say work piles up for the district and positions sit unfilled.

Doug Flowers, the St. Joseph district's human resources director, has spoken to Board of Education members about the concerns with background checks. He said the checks can take up to six weeks and the district ends up losing out on maintenance and paraprofessional job candidates and others.

According to Missouri law, public employees must pass the state's fingerprint criminal background check before starting work. The state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education manages the background checks for school districts.

The education department sends digital fingerprints to the Missouri State Highway Patrol and FBI and then reports back to the districts. Applicants pay the $50 background check charge.

The law is "great" in theory, Flowers said, because it is aimed at keeping dangerous criminals out of schools.

"But when you're talking about waiting a month, some people just aren't going to stick around that long for a job," Flowers said.

He said the checks that take the most time usually turn up something -- often violations such as speeding tickets.

School board members have asked Flowers to seek advice from the district's attorney on the issue.

"We can't have that," said board member David Hornaday of the long background process. "It's a ridiculous process, and we need a way around it."

Rusty Rosenkoetter, who supervises the staff that manages the state's school district background checks, said she is not aware of any problems concerning the amount of time the process takes.

"At the very beginning of the school year or during other high-volume times, it might take two to three weeks, but it shouldn't be taking six weeks unless there is some kind of mishap," Rosenkoetter said. "My staff hasn't mentioned anything about a slowdown."

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Information from: St. Joseph News-Press, http://www.stjoenews-press.com