The FBI stirred up a firestorm this month by issuing a bulletin to police warning that suspected members of extremist groups had signed up as school bus drivers.

Naturally, this got immediate media attention. The FBI then held a press conference during which they appeared to be playing down the risk. A spokesman said, “Parents and children have nothing to fear” and “There are no threats, no plots and no history leading us to believe there is any reason for concern.” They added that most drivers were seeking jobs for legitimate reasons. However, the complete text of the bulletin was apparently not released. As others have noted, it seems to be impossible to find it on the FBI website, the Department of Homeland Security, or anywhere else. So there really is no information as to which extremist groups are involved, what characteristics the police should be looking for, or how school districts should protect themselves. Although I am not one for conspiracy theories, it seems likely that someone belatedly realized the political sensitivity of this issue and attempted to reduce its profile.

The scary thing is that as a means of spreading terror, the idea sounds effective. Packed school buses would surely play on public emotion as well as packed planes. Terrorist attacks on school buses have occured before, and the Beslan school attack that killed over 100 children was relatively recent. So more details on the basis for concern would be welcome. Without them, people will likely fill in their own stereotypes.

Despite the vagueness of the alert, it is already having an effect in the background check realm. Pennsylvania has announced that its school bus drivers will be required to pass an FBI background check. This has alarmed some districts, as they are already facing a shortage of drivers. It appears that the candidates will be expected to pay for their own background check, at a cost of $40. (One hopes that this also includes an OFAC background check.) But the worst problem is that FBI background checks can be extremely slow — sometimes taking several months.

It is good to see that the government is taking school safety seriously, but a judicious use of private sector employment background checks might allow the system to scale better. The FBI is a law enforcement agency, with much to do. Unfortunately, given the dangers in today’s world, it does not seem that the burden will lighten anytime soon.

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