More background check incidents....

[Adam]

I'd much rather see safeguards put in place that actually prevent unknown adults from having unsupervised access to children. Officiating HS sports should never give us that access, whether we have background checks or not. Aside from the false sense of securit, my real concerns are two-fold:
1. Who has access to all this information, and how is it stored?
2. Who decides what background items would disqualify one from officiating?

CO has implemented a background check. We need to provide an arrest record and account for the disposition of any arrests that show up.
We have to pay the CBI $7 every three years for this.

[EsqUmp]

Originally Posted by Adam

I'd much rather see safeguards put in place that actually prevent unknown adults from having unsupervised access to children. Officiating HS sports should never give us that access, whether we have background checks or not. Aside from the false sense of securit, my real concerns are two-fold:
1. Who has access to all this information, and how is it stored?
2. Who decides what background items would disqualify one from officiating?

CO has implemented a background check. We need to provide an arrest record and account for the disposition of any arrests that show up.
We have to pay the CBI $7 every three years for this.

In NY the officials are fingerprinted. That way they can't use a fake identity, social security, etc. to get around their criminal convictions. If they have a fingerprintable offense on file, it will come up. The fingerprinting is done though the NYS Dept of Education, which has access to all prints in DCJS (Department of Criminal Justice Services). Should someone be arrested, the NYS DOE gets notification from DCJS automatically.

[PATRICK]

Originally Posted by EsqUmp

In NY the officials are fingerprinted. That way they can't use a fake identity, social security, etc. to get around their criminal convictions. If they have a fingerprintable offense on file, it will come up. The fingerprinting is done though the NYS Dept of Education, which has access to all prints in DCJS (Department of Criminal Justice Services). Should someone be arrested, the NYS DOE gets notification from DCJS automatically.

And the DoE charges $91.50 and BOSCES charges another $25 service charge to do it!

[PATRICK]

Plus as sports officials, we have NO unsupervised access to the children.

[EsqUmp]

Originally Posted by PATRICK

Plus as sports officials, we have NO unsupervised access to the children.

Yup. We have to kick back a varsity fee for a lifetime of year-round officiating.

[PATRICK]

Originally Posted by EsqUmp

Yup. We have to kick back a varsity fee for a lifetime of year-round officiating.

That's BS! There's no way in hell that it costs $91.50 for them to run an electronic BC, and it certainly isn't going to cost $25 for a BOSCES employee to fingerprint me. That'll take 3 minutes! Plus, I needed an appointment before lunch. Granted I made it for a day I'm doing a college game out that way, but now I have to leave work an hour earlier.

It's highway robbery! And the excuse that it's only one game fee is BS too. As a new umpire, I have to start at the lower level with the lower fee.

Charge me what it cost to perform these services. Don't use it as a revenue generator.

I had to have one in Pa, as I cooked in a daycare last year, and it only cost $35 total!

[Manny A]

Originally Posted by PATRICK

Plus as sports officials, we have NO unsupervised access to the children.

I disagree. There's always the chance that your partner is a minor. I've worked a few ASA games with kids that were under 18.

Also, I've been at the park recovering from my game, and I've seen plenty of individual kids sitting and waiting for a parent or older sibling to come pick them up. It floors me that a coach wouldn't wait with that kid until the parent or sibling shows up. Unlike some random stranger, it's not inconceivable for an umpire, who has already displayed a sense of authority in that kid's mind while working the game, to convince the kid to hop in the car for a ride home. I will take my time recovering and stick around until the kid's ride comes through.

[HugoTafurst]

I remember when I was in high school and cut class, the vice principal told me that the offense would go on my permanent record....
I wonder if they caught that on my background check.

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by Adam

I'd much rather see safeguards put in place that actually prevent unknown adults from having unsupervised access to children.

Adam, that is what is known as parenting and there is where the problem starts. If the parents would act as parents and give proper regard to their children and their lives, many of these issues would be non-existent.