I confess that when I read the headline, “Livonia schools runs criminal checks on chaperones,” I found myself thinking that some people might be going overboard. But the article reminded me of an important thing about background checks and how you use them. You use them as part of a process of judgment.
You decide whose background should get checked. The Livonia schools thought it was a good idea to check on chaperones because they’re in positions of trust with young people they could easily take advantage of.
Who should you be checking out? Who will be in a trusted position they could abuse? Who has access to money, people, or information and could use that access to do something bad?
You decide what kind of check is called for. A criminal background check and a close look at the sex offender registry was what Livonia decided.
For most hires and people with access to money or sensitive data, I suggest both a national criminal background check and a pre-employment credit check. When you make decisions on this, think about what people actually do and what they actually have access to.
You decide what information is important. If you’re hiring an accounting clerk you will certainly want to look at credit history carefully. If you’re hiring a truck driver, the driving record is important. Everybody should have their background checked for criminal activity.
And, this is important, you decide what to do with what you find. If you hit something that might cause you to deny employment or access you need to decide whether to verify it or ask for an explanation. You also should decide if what you find is a good reason, for example, to deny employment or to offer employment with a probationary period or conditions.
Background checks are tools. You’re the one responsible for choosing which ones to use and what to look for. You’re the one responsible for decisions about what to do with what you find.