It's a background check many school districts didn't know about, and only a handful of districts are doing it.
This year, Spartanburg District One was the first in South Carolina to start conducting a Department of Social Services background check on employees and parent chaperones. A DSS check of "The Central Registry of Abuse and Neglect" provides a record of abuse or neglect in family court even though a person may not have been criminally charged. It’s a record that may not come up in an FBI or SLED background check required for school employment.
Paula Owens, a substitute teacher and founder of “Paul’s Center for Children’s Rights”, says she has spoken with all but two of the state’s 85 districts about this option, available to schools at $15 per check. Owens says, "There is a list there. I want the schools to be aware that the list exists… and that it has people who have neglected and abused and sexually abused children on it."
Spartanburg Districts Three and Six also currently conduct the DSS checks, and District 5 Superintendent Dr. Scott Turner tells News Channel 7 it will start doing the additional background checks in January.
To access the DSS background check form:
http://www.state.sc.us/dss/forms/files/3072.pdf
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