Mentor City, Ohio Requiring Mandatory Volunteer Background Checks
The Northern Ohio News Herald reported that the Mentor City Council President, Robert Shiner, is making a power play to make background checks mandatory for city volunteers who typically staff about 50 committee and commission posts.
Shiner is pushing for the following amendment to be applied to an existing code governing the city volunteer hiring practice:
“Commission and Board members and all other persons seeking (re)appointment to an expiring or vacant term ... must submit with a resume a completed City-supplied Application for Commission/Board Appointment/Reappointment form and an executed City-supplied consent form for a criminal and civil background check."
Translation: If you want to volunteer for this city, you’ll need a background check.
Some council members predictably see the checks as a violation of individual privacy. As many of the volunteer positions are unpaid, there is fear that it could deter potential applicants.
Personally, I think not being asked to undergo a background check for a city position (even if it’s just an unpaid volunteer slot) would be fairly questionable.
The article does not state the specific duties of the volunteer positions, such as if the positions allow the volunteer access to personal files, voting information, city finances etc…
There is obviously a need for background checks given that the head of the city council thinks it would be a good idea to have them in place. Forgoing them could lead to hiring someone who is unqualified to be performing work for the city, even if on a volunteer basis.
I was once asked why I was bringing a jacket on a day trip to the notoriously foggy city of San Francisco when it was obvious it was going to be nice all day and into the night.
My reply was “It’s better to have something and not need it, than need and not have.”
In its final deliberations on the proposed code amendment, the Mentor City Council should have it’s mindset geared the same way.
posted by JenWiehl @ 9:12 AM
12 Comments
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12 Comments:
I don't see why volunteers shouldn't be background checked. It makes just as much sense as screening a paid employee. I don't necessarily think the volunteer should have to pay for the background check, but it should definitely be performed.
What does getting paid have anything to do with it? If you're going to steal, or commit a violent or sexual crime, or whatever, are you really going to stop and go, "Oh, wait, I'm not getting paid, nevermind. I'll wait to commit this crime at my day job."
Everyone should have a background check run on them every year and that information should be available for anyone to see. People should be protected from those with sketchy background checks. They should make this law for all volunteers. Too often people know that community and NPOs don't have the money to do background checks so they slip in.
Criminal back ground checks for volunteers make sense, civil background checks I am a little less on board with.
A volunteer with nothing to hide would be fine with this. "You need to take a background check of me? Ok, no problem. When can I get to work?"
This is a great policy. Paid or non paid workers should go through mandatory background screening. If you need a reason why, just cut on the daily news and check out all of the criminals who slipped through the cracks because an employer didn't do a good job of checking out their past.
Why is this even being debated? All it's going to take is one incident to cause a catastrophe and then people will be crying that a background check should have been done.
The act of a volunteer is unselfish. I think it is selfish of people to think that it is an invasion of privacy to do, at least, a criminal background check on volunteers. I would rather people be proactive on things then have to react to some type of tragedy or situation. I simply don’t get how people rationalize this in their heads.
Volunteers should be background checked they are still interacting with people closely and it’s just a sense of comfort that they have cleared a background check
Please common sense---if you're willing to help others then you have nothing to hide.
I believe volunteers should be screened the same as regular employees. Better safe than sorry.
Volunteers and backgrounds - all persons handling others decisions, money, family, etc. should have a background. A negative background does not mean you will not be included it simply lets those on a need to know basis, what you are capable of. The community service person ex. salvation army are usually in a rehab program they have crimes. The background is used to place the individual in an appropriate place. The rapeist has to do community service, however, with the background check he would be placed somewhere out of the public and not left alone with the traditional victim. the background check advises the "employer" on placement
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