Superintendent Dr. Thomas Taylor’s reaction to the Montgomery County Office of the Inspector General report, which found significant flaws in MCPS’s background screening procedure, has been followed up on by MCPS.The update, which is shown below, explains that MCPS is dedicated to provide frequent updates on this problem and how they are acting swiftly to resolve it. We want to reassure you that your students are secure at school, and we are taking prompt, consistent action to ensure that they remain so, according to MCPS.
According to MCPS:
Background checks for volunteers, contractors, and school-based employees need to be improved, according to recent findings from the Montgomery County Office of the Inspector General. We would like to discuss with you our proposal to address these concerns, which have been neglected by previous administrations and for many years (since 2019).
What We’re Currently Doing
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Prioritizing New Hires First
We re prioritizing new hires hundreds are being hired before this school year by adding trained staff to expedite clearances. Since all of our existing employees already have at least one background check, we want to be sure all of our new staff are fully approved before starting work. -
Clearing the CPS Background Check Backlog
Our County and State partners are stepping up, and we appreciate working closely with the Maryland and Montgomery County Departments of Human Services to move quickly, add staff, and modernize processes so every adult around students is fully screened. An enlarged team is now working in a fully electronic system to clear any employee without a Child Protective Services (CPS) check. -
Re-Fingerprinting Staff Hired Before 2019
A contract for additional fingerprinting services will be brought for approval to the Board of Education on Aug. 21. All staff hired before 2019 will be re-fingerprinted and enrolled in the FBI s continuous monitoring system, RapBack. Beginning September 4, mobile fingerprinting units will visit schools to make this fast and convenient.
Note:
Beginning at the Summer Leadership meeting today (Aug. 14), more than 200 school and system leaders were re-cleared. -
Re-Badging All Staff
Every staff member will receive a new badge as part of the clearance process, making it clear who is fully cleared to work in our schools. Extra badging printers and materials are ordered and on the way.
Remember: No Unsupervised Access = No ClearanceIf a volunteer, contractor, or employee’s background check is incomplete, they won’t be allowed to work with pupils alone.
Responsibility and OpennessThe Board of Education will receive a public update from MCPS on September 25. On September 26, MCPS will tell the Montgomery County Council on the status of background check clearances. We appreciate this error and pledge to keep lines of communication open so you are aware of our current position. Through letters sent home and shared with our school administrators, we will provide you with regular updates on our progress in this endeavor.
The Significance of ThisFor us, safety is a continuous process. It needs constant monitoring, updating, and confirmation. We will upgrade safety-related systems as they can. With this approach, we are creating a better system for years to come, not just solving one issue.
