Duke Faculty Applicants May Have to Consent to Background Checks

Currently, only some Duke faculty members have to undergo background checks. Right now though, there are talks in which policy makers are deciding whether or not to make that a universal policy across the entire campus. In other words, every single faculty member would be required to consent to a background check before being eligible for employment at Duke University.

School Board Considering Stricter Teacher Background Checks

The Duval County school board in Florida is reviewing its hiring procedures due to two separate incidents of school district teachers arrested for molesting students. Last year, Southside Middle School teacher Robert Luke was charged with sexual battery of a 15-year-old student. More recently, Christopher Bacca, a teacher at Windy Hill Elementary School was arrested for the sexual molestation of a student under 12. Bacca is currently facing several charges of molestation, while Luke has yet to be sentenced for his charges. Both teachers initially passed background checks with the school district, even though they each had been investigated previously due to allegations of misconduct with children without being charged.

School committees and boards tightening background check policies

With the slate of recent negative news items featuring school officials and employees caught in or accused of criminal activitiy and offenses against children it was to be expected that some of the new year resolutions for schools would focus on reviewing and improving their own background check policies. Officials at the Wellesley school voted to adopt stricter regulations in order to close the gap in how the district runs background checks.