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There are no background or criminal record checks (yet) in Massachusetts public schools for officials. But the Catholic schools started requiring a criminal record check a couple of years ago. I know some other sports where their private associations have started to require these checks.
Massachusetts limits disclosure to criminal convictions. Organizations that access these records must have a specific procedure in place that describes who gets the records, what they will do with them, etc. Youth sports groups are required to obtain criminal information on coaches and some of them extend this to officials.
But I know of very few groups that have clear policies as to what is a disqualifying crime. Is a shoplifting conviction from 30 years ago? How about a bar fight from college? I have seen one policy that says any sex crime is disqualifying...which would include something like urinating in public if it is charged as "public exposure." No matter that it was after a night of heavy drinking as a teenager many years ago. I believe that in Pennsylvania a conviction for fraud or embezzlement is disqualifying to be a sports official.
I don't have unsupervised access to students, so I don't understand why I should have anyone looking at my (non-existent) criminal record.
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