Background checks

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We are looking at background checks for our intramural coaches and was wondering what info we should we look for and how far back.

Thoughts?

Thanks!

 

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Not sure if your plannng on using the data base for your checks or not. If you are, you can find one on the internet for Ohio and they are free. That should give you all the information that you should need, at least legally. There is another called Choice point and it does a national check, although it is not free it is a very small fee.

 

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If you individually register your team with ASA insurance, it is $6.00 per girl and $12.00 for the coach which includes a background check which isn't just in Ohio. Check with your District Commissioner if you have questions... if you still do after checking with him, contact Warren Jones, State Commissioner. I will be happy to furnish you contact info. Fast2home@yahoo.com
We do this for all of our tournament teams.

 

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Thanks for the answers... We are doing the ASA one and I think they asked what criteria we want to look at and how far back to go....

What is a red flag? Battery? on an adult? domestic issues? drunk driving if they end up driving a child home? and again how far back do you take it....?

just some thoughts that's all... Your mind could go on forever on what ifs....

 

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Not sure if your plannng on using the data base for your checks or not. If you are, you can find one on the internet for Ohio and they are free. That should give you all the information that you should need, at least legally. There is another called Choice point and it does a national check, although it is not free it is a very small fee.

Do you know what these websites are? We are looking for cheaper service to check out all of our rec ball coaches this year.

 

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If you individually register your team with ASA insurance, it is $6.00 per girl and $12.00 for the coach which includes a background check which isn't just in Ohio. Check with your District Commissioner if you have questions... if you still do after checking with him, contact Warren Jones, State Commissioner. I will be happy to furnish you contact info. Fast2home@yahoo.com
We do this for all of our tournament teams.

Only issue I have with this is the requirement that I give someone, who may or may not have any idea about how to secure sensitive data, all of my personal identification information including SSN. Nothing to hide, as I've had enough background checks for the schools and my job to uncover any dirt all the way down to China, but it seems like a risk that isn't warranted.

 

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I have had my identity stolen before (ss number, checking account, pin number for debit card, debit card, credit card). It was a ROYAL pain to get that straightened out. Due to that, I am very leary about giving my personal information to any organization where I have no idea on how "secure" they will keep that information.

 

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Background checks are a great idea and definitely in the best interest of the girls. All of our coaches MUST have a background check through ASA. They did have to provide their driver's lisence and birth certificate, but it was pretty painless. Worth the extra few bucks. Peace of mind for everyone involved.

 

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Thanks for the answers... We are doing the ASA one and I think they asked what criteria we want to look at and how far back to go....

What is a red flag? Battery? on an adult? domestic issues? drunk driving if they end up driving a child home? and again how far back do you take it....?

just some thoughts that's all... Your mind could go on forever on what ifs....

As a parent I would not be comfortable with anyone with many of these issues in the past 10 years. DUI wouldn't be an issue with me as long as the coach wasn't transporting the kids (or if you found out the circumstances....such as he/she got it after a wedding or out on a weekend with friends. Because it really doesn't take much to put you over the legal limit anymore-I am not saying that makes it right but it also doesn't make that person an alcoholic. Now more than one issue of drinking and driving big red flag.....But no matter what you find I would ask the circumstances surrounding the incedent but any domestic violence issues would bother me. Also if you get a red flag you could talk to someone who knows them to see if it was a one time thing when he/she was young (we all did stupid things at some point but it doesn't make us bad people/role models....). Another thing I feel stronly about is go with your gut instinct if you are unsure.

 

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Background checks are a great idea and definitely in the best interest of the girls. ?All of our coaches MUST have a background check through ASA. ?They did have to provide their driver's lisence and birth certificate, but it was pretty painless. ?Worth the extra few bucks. ?Peace of mind for everyone involved.

If all they wanted was a drivers license number and birth certificate (copy) many more would probably be willing. ASA also require the SS#, that is where I have a problem. With so many reports of data theft, selling information to advertisers, computer hacking, etc. I am a little leary sending my SS# to a non govt agency when I have no idea on how secure they will keep that information. If all they want is a background check, I'd rather go to the local police department to obtain that information and have them send it to ASA rather than give them my SS#. JMHO gained through a terrible experience.

 

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Our local rec league had each of the potential coaches go to the local Police Dept, which would provide them with a background check. It was a small fee that the coach paid in order to coach in the league. I dont know if your local departemtn offers this, but it was a great way to accomplish something that in these times unfortunately, has to be done. ( same background check that potential employers have applicants bring in during the interview process)

Coach K

 

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Get with the high school and see if they can perform the FBI fingerprint check that will cover any type of criminal history. We have required all our youth coaches in our area to submitt to this prior to setting foot on the field. There is a small fee that we also require the coaches to put out themselves.

 

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Great topic, finally we can get a ' heads-up ' on a coach who may not belong in coaching.

 

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We have landed on a plan we are going to use for ours, The coaches will need to get certified and cleared through the Schools as a volunteer, NYSCA, Police Dept which a background check is done at their cost or they don't coach.

But I would still like to hear some thoughts on how far back do you go? what shows up on them? What if the person had a drug conviction when they were 15 and now are 35, or an arrest on a fight at a bar or things like those??

It's a sticky wicket when pandora's box gets opened, but other than obvious child endangerment type flags.... what else would you look for?

 

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I think we should background check parents. Maybe that would explain some of their actions

You know, when I first made that statement I was being sarcastic but if you think about it parents have almost as much interaction with players as coaches. Especially in the summer situations.

 

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But I would still like to hear some thoughts on how far back do you go? what shows up on them? What if the person had a drug conviction when they were 15 and now are 35, or an arrest on a fight at a bar or things like those??

I totally agree that 0% tolerance, if any convictions or past problems related to children!!

But let et me play Devil's Advocate for awhile. ?Lets say if you are just now starting to do back ground checks, and will be doing them on coaches you have had in the past. ?Maybe it is a coach that has done an excellent job in years past, and knows the game extremely well, and is constantly striving to become a better coach. ?But in your background check you find out he has had two prior DUI's 10-15 years ago. ?At a party he was attending several years back he got a little rowdy and was arrested for disorderly conduct, but since his last run in with the law was 7-8 years ago, he/she has become an outstanding community figure.

Do you bring all this out in the open, and remove them from coaching and possibly ruin the "New" direction this person/coach has directed their lives?

 

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I'm not much of a zero tolerance guy. ?That's for people who don't have the ability to discern. ?I'd go zero tolerance on anyone with any history of child abuse or molestation, though.

Here's one example of bad zero tolerance, and we can thank our moronic state legislators for it. ?A coach I knew was an assistant coach at a high school for many years. ?About 10 years ago when he was around 48, a felony came up from when he was 19 years old. ?He bought cocaine. ?No criminal offenses after that. ?Raised a family and built his own business. ?Served on community boards, coached school and summer ball for years and was a pillar of the community. ?He had to quit coaching school ball because of the felony. ?He could coach for my travel teams anytime he wanted, though, as far as I'm concerned (he doesn't and never has, just to be clear). ?

Is that the type of person we don't want in coaching?

Moreover, I guess Barack Obama (admitted cocaine user in the past) is not qualified to coach, either, but he can be President?

And as an attorney who does OVI (used to be called DUI) work, I can promise you that a LOT of current coaches will be stepping down if we made that a bar from coaching. ?Two or more DUIs in the recent past I can see, but one? ?That's absurd, in my opinion.

Finally, if we do require our coaches to get background checks, the parents will be the ones paying for it, not the volunteer coaches. ?These people are already volunteering hundreds of hours of their time and who knows how much money, and now we're going to make them spend another $50 of their own money? ?

 

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as a foster parent and teacher, there has never been a background check i didn't have.....and although it was cumbersome, time consuming and tedious, when i think of all the other teachers out there and foster parents that STILL come out with arrest records and such, it does make you wonder about background checks for coaches and volunteers....
based on some of these posts, looks like most coaches are required to do some kind of background checking...of course, anything related to aminor, sorry dude, no coaching for you, but drug arrests or DUI several years ago, you have to make a judgement call...

 

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Get with the high school and see if they can perform the FBI fingerprint check that will cover any type of criminal history. ?We have required all our youth coaches in our area to submitt to this prior to setting foot on the field. ?There is a small fee that we also require the coaches to put out themselves. ?

I agree with JoeA about who pays for it. You are asking me to get finger printed and "submit" to an FBI check and then pay for it before I have the privlige to volunteer to coach. No thanks, I can watch for free and a lot less headaches. Youth programs need coaches a whole lot more than coaches need them. Also, who has to get checked out. Just the headcoach or all the assistants too. What about statpeople. You can't check everybody that interacts with the girls. I'm all for protecting the kids but I'm not sold on background checks and fingerprints for everyone at their cost.


Also, statman you brought an interesting point about the teachers being extensively background checked, YET, we still have problems with (some) teachers. Just because a coach passes a background check doesn't mean they are any less prone to future problems.

 

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DING DING DING>...

I finally got some things I was looking for to be able to bring back discuss with my fellow board members..

Thanks for the comments all!!


I agree with any child related stuff.....

What would be the amount of time you would say would have to elapse to not consider the offense other than the obvious offense relating to kids..?

I just want to keep the kids safe and fair to the volunteers too...