There is a recent article posted on MSNBC.com that in 30 school districts across New York State the School Boards hired employees with criminal backgrounds. Believe me, this is not the only state or municipality that has mistakenly hired job candidates with criminal records.
Because fingerprinted background checks take up to eight months to process, the administrators often lose track of the status of these background checks over time. the background checks get lost int he shuffle and, it would seem people forget to review the qualifications of recently hired employees. In plain talk, they hire them on contingency their background checks return without blemishes, but then they forget about them. The criminal records go undiscovered.
Some districts hire people and, frankly, take their time getting around to ordering the background searches. Instead of ordering them promptly and waiting to hire the employment candidate, the person is hired and then when they get around to it, the powers that be order the background search.
This is some kind of preemployment screening process. If the accent is on preemployment screening, you would think the municipalities would employ other methods in conducting background searches. State and county criminal records can return in as little as 24 to 72 business hours. Database criminal searches can return in seconds. The Nationwide Criminal Database Search, as a preliminary search, would be ideal in first vetting candidates. If any record would show up their, the employer could then suspend the hiring process.
We realize why the fingerprinting background checking process can take so long. fingerprints are ultimately submitted to the Department of Justice, where they are reviewed. The results are then sent back to the employer. However, the Department of Justice is a little busy at the moment with terrorist activities and a plethora of white collar crime, thanks to the economic downturn. This is but to name but a few things occupying the Department of Justice at the moment, so it is understandable that there are delays.
Well it ain’t no way to run a school, and it sure is not the way to run a business. If you want your background searches returned in a timely fashion, use qulaity background checking services like Corra Group. And remember, check them out before you hire.
