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More than a year after she publicly requested that the Carbondale Area School District begin conducting background checks on parents who volunteer in the schools, PTA president Sue Smith complained that the policy still hasn’t been implemented.
During a school board meeting on Wednesday night, Jan. 18, Smith stated that Carbondale Area and Old Forge are the only two districts in the area that don’t do background checks on parents. She said she raised the issue before the board over a year ago but no action has been taken to date.
“Why haven’t we done anything?” she asked the directors. “If it’s for fear of losing volunteers, I can tell you that the only volunteers you’ll lose are the ones who have a bad background.”
Superintendent Dr. Dominick Famularo said Carbondala Area is not mandated to provide the background checks, due to restrictions already placed upon parents by the district.
“The law does not require them in our case,” he related.
He explained that parent volunteers in the district are not authorized to work independently with individual students or groups of students. He said they may help out in a classroom with a teacher, but they cannot be alone with any student in an unsupervised situation.
Famularo said the district also believes that background checks could discourage parental involvement.
“The board doesn’t want to make it more difficult for parents to work in the schools or come in to visit with their child’s teacher or principal,” he offered.
Smith stated that, with the $15 million high school renovation work continuing, now would be a good time to put new regulations like the background checks in place.
“You’re spending all this money on the [high school] but then you’re allowing just anyone to walk into the building,” she argued.
Famularo insisted that the district is not permitting “just anyone” to either walk into or volunteer there, since all visitors have to identify themselves and go through a security system before being given access to the facility, and no volunteers are working in one-on-one situations with any child. At the same time, he said, the district wants parents and other visitors to feel welcome.
“We’re a public building,” he noted, “and all of the public is welcome in our building.”
Smith referenced the fact that, when she first brought this issue before the board, she gave examples of parent volunteers currently helping out there who might pose a problem — including one parent who was still wearing a monitoring device due to a criminal conviction.
“These are no longer potential problems we’re talking about,” she pointed out. “They are actual incidences.”
In another matter, director Tracey Andrews asked about the effect that the closing of Marian Community Hospital — and the loss of potentially hundreds of jobs of residents who work there — will have on the district’s tax revenues and therefore its overall budget.
District business manager David Cerra replied that the loss of all those jobs will be felt by both the district and city. However, he noted that he couldn’t “give an exact number” for the expected overall financial toll.
Still, he said “it’s going to be noticeable.”
Famularo commented that there won’t be a noticeable negative impact upon the district if the people who lose their jobs are able to find new jobs. He added that if those new jobs pay higher salaries, then tax revenues could even rise.
Cerra agreed, stating, “That would be fabulous.”
More than a year after she publicly requested that the Carbondale Area School District begin conducting background checks on parents who volunteer in the schools, PTA president Sue Smith complained that the policy still hasn’t been implemented.
During a school board meeting on Wednesday night, Jan. 18, Smith stated that Carbondale Area and Old Forge are the only two districts in the area that don’t do background checks on parents. She said she raised the issue before the board over a year ago but no action has been taken to date.
“Why haven’t we done anything?” she asked the directors. “If it’s for fear of losing volunteers, I can tell you that the only volunteers you’ll lose are the ones who have a bad background.”
Superintendent Dr. Dominick Famularo said Carbondala Area is not mandated to provide the background checks, due to restrictions already placed upon parents by the district.
“The law does not require them in our case,” he related.
He explained that parent volunteers in the district are not authorized to work independently with individual students or groups of students. He said they may help out in a classroom with a teacher, but they cannot be alone with any student in an unsupervised situation.
Famularo said the district also believes that background checks could discourage parental involvement.
“The board doesn’t want to make it more difficult for parents to work in the schools or come in to visit with their child’s teacher or principal,” he offered.
Smith stated that, with the $15 million high school renovation work continuing, now would be a good time to put new regulations like the background checks in place.
“You’re spending all this money on the [high school] but then you’re allowing just anyone to walk into the building,” she argued.
Famularo insisted that the district is not permitting “just anyone” to either walk into or volunteer there, since all visitors have to identify themselves and go through a security system before being given access to the facility, and no volunteers are working in one-on-one situations with any child. At the same time, he said, the district wants parents and other visitors to feel welcome.
“We’re a public building,” he noted, “and all of the public is welcome in our building.”
Smith referenced the fact that, when she first brought this issue before the board, she gave examples of parent volunteers currently helping out there who might pose a problem — including one parent who was still wearing a monitoring device due to a criminal conviction.
“These are no longer potential problems we’re talking about,” she pointed out. “They are actual incidences.”
In another matter, director Tracey Andrews asked about the effect that the closing of Marian Community Hospital — and the loss of potentially hundreds of jobs of residents who work there — will have on the district’s tax revenues and therefore its overall budget.
District business manager David Cerra replied that the loss of all those jobs will be felt by both the district and city. However, he noted that he couldn’t “give an exact number” for the expected overall financial toll.
Still, he said “it’s going to be noticeable.”
Famularo commented that there won’t be a noticeable negative impact upon the district if the people who lose their jobs are able to find new jobs. He added that if those new jobs pay higher salaries, then tax revenues could even rise.
Cerra agreed, stating, “That would be fabulous.”
