Can't volunteer at local public school because...

[Janeway]

Unbelievable. I have a first grader in the local public school. I am supposed to go in next week and read to the children. But I have to have a criminal background check. Fine.

 

But, when I go to do the background check online through the district, it lists me as an employee. So it says I don't need a background check. But, I am not an employee. So when they check the employee database, I am not listed. We have gone back and forth about this and either they can't fix it, they just don't know how, or no one is really trying. I am starting to get teary over this. It is looking more and more like I will just simply be excluded from any volunteer work, room parent, helping with parties, everything, because of this. And I am supposed to trust the schools to educate my children when they cannot even sort this out.

[DawnM]

Who is the "we" in "we have gone back and forth about this?"

 

Just asking because sometimes the school can help you out when the district level personnel can't or won't take the time to deal with it.

 

I am actually an employee with the district and still having technological issues.

[Janeway]

The people at the school have spoken to person in charge at the district. The person at the district who oversees the entire district it seems, only takes emails, not phone calls. She just comes back with "redo the application." That is it. And that is all she says.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I understand that it is frustrating, but it seems to be a huge overreaction to go from being frustrated at not being able to read to some children, to not trusting them to teach your kids.  It's not like it's the teachers who are setting up the background checks. 

 

I would e-mail again.  I would say "I have tried X time to send in this application for a background check.   I get a message that I am an employee even though I'm not and apparently the database does not list me as one.  This is my information.  Could you please see if you can enter it so that if an error message comes up you can see firsthand what is happening.  Thank you." 

[Jean in Newcastle]

The FBI are the ones who do background checks here. 

[Janeway]

Can you submit one on your own?  I dunno...just go to your local police department and ask them to do it?

Nope. You have to go through the school. 

[Sneezyone]

Frustrating though it may be, I'd rather have the school err of the side of caution. Keep trying.

[alisoncooks]

I get annoyed by red tape like that.  Perhaps this shows my small-town mentality, but I'd take myself right over to the County Offices and ask to make an appointment to speak with the Superintendent.  If they won't do that, then perhaps they'll direct you to someone who has the authority to fix your problem.  

 

IME, it's much harder to blow someone off when they're standing right there in the lobby, expecting to see results...

[JoJosMom]

I understand that it is frustrating, but it seems to be a huge overreaction to go from being frustrated at not being able to read to some children, to not trusting them to teach your kids.  It's not like it's the teachers who are setting up the background checks. 

 

I would e-mail again.  I would say "I have tried X time to send in this application for a background check.   I get a message that I am an employee even though I'm not and apparently the database does not list me as one.  This is my information.  Could you please see if you can enter it so that if an error message comes up you can see firsthand what is happening.  Thank you." 

 

I disagree with you on this, Jean.  The problem of which the OP is complaining is just a symptom of a bigger problem:  bureaucratic, institutional stupidity.  That issue can be the root cause of a thousand and one different problems.  Imagine that type of systemic paralysis dealing with, say, an incompetent teacher.  Or perhaps with curriculum development, whatever your hot button issue is.  The inability to efficiently address problems may not seem like a huge deal in this instance (to others; obviously it is causing the OP a great deal of discomfort), but it could be the symptom of something bigger that may well affect other, "bigger" deals.  It would certainly affect my faith in the overall competence of the organization.

Edited September 20, 2016 by JoJosMom

[Lanny]

OP  sorry about this issue.  In the IT world, which is where I think that issue is, that would be considered a trivial issue, by anyone who is competent. In your case, the person who should be able to fix this is indifferent to you..   You might be able to find someone who is competent, but if they are indifferent, you are at a dead end at this time.  If you are friendly with any of the other parents, or the teacher of your DC, share this with them.  

[wendy not in HI]

I would head down to the school offices and talk to someone in person.  Find out the office hours of the person in charge and wait until she can see you.  Stay there until the issue is resolved.  If it cannot be resolved that day, contact your school board member - they should be able to put some pressure on for you.  Don't give up!  There must be a problem with the system, and I imagine you are not the only one with the issue.

[DawnM]

Some of you who are saying to go to the district office.......I wouldn't. Sometimes they can't even tell you WHO you need to see and then if they can, that person may be too busy to see you. Even reaching them on the phone can be difficult.

 

The district where my kids go......the district offices are over 20 miles each way from my house, so going and not being able to meet with anyone would be very frustrating.

 

At this point, I would go into the school and just say that you hope you can resolve this, take your laptop, SHOW them what you are doing to apply, and have them give you any further directions.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I disagree with you on this, Jean.  The problem of which the OP is complaining is just a symptom of a bigger problem:  bureaucratic, institutional stupidity.  That issue can be the root cause of a thousand and one different problems.  Imagine that type of systemic paralysis dealing with, say, an incompetent teacher.  Or perhaps with curriculum development, whatever your hot button issue is.  The inability to efficiently and address problems may not seem like a huge deal in this instance (to others; obviously it is causing the OP a great deal of discomfort), but it could be the symptom of something bigger that may well affect other, "bigger" deals.  It would certainly affect my faith in the overall competence of the organization.

 

It's a software glitch of some kind.  Or it could be that possibly the OP is entering something wrong.  (No blame for that.  I've done that too.  And it's just one possibility of why things aren't going through.)  In my state, the school district person would simply be a liaison between the district and the law enforcement agency that is actually doing the background check since school districts do not have direct access to criminal records.  I gave a suggestion of how to try to resolve the problem by giving them specific information on how many times the OP had tried to resolve this on their own and what information they were entering.  Just telling them "it doesn't work" is going to get the default answer of "try again" because often with computer problems the solution that actually works is to "reboot and try again."  I'm assuming that this isn't a system wide problem of everyone who has tried to volunteer for the program running into this problem.  Since the OP has tried multiple times, it is important for the district liaison to know that because it gives them added information to deal with.  I think it is premature to blame an entire school district for a technology glitch that for all we know, is limited to this one situation, as frustrating as it is. 

[Jen500]

I would find out the district person in charge of this (not someone at the school), and either call and leave a detailed message for that person, or send them a detailed email message with a screenshot showing you as an employee. Good luck.

Edited September 20, 2016 by Jen500

[Pegasus]

Does the system think you are an employee because of you having the same name as an employee or is it matching with a social security number?  If the first, just enter a slight variation of your name.  Part of the background check questions will ask if you go by any other names, use your full legal name there.  If the second, I'd be more concerned about someone else falsely or mistakenly using your SS#!

[NorthwestMom]

School districts are nonprofit, and they tend to choose technology and platforms that are cheaper than a for-profit business would choose, and they pay their tech employees less than the open market rate - and thus you get dumb glitches and poor customer service like this. Please try not to catastrophize, OP - just gently persist and it WILL get worked out.

 

Yes, you are supposed to trust the schools to educate your child, even if they can't manage this technology well, because educating children is their *primary* focus, and this technology is far down the list. If your child's classroom teacher is well-educated, highly-qualified, and your child is happy and thriving in their class - that's the MOST important thing. Not that the district went cheap on their technology.

[NorthwestMom]

Also, if it is the beginning of your school year, like it is here in Seattle - the tech team is busy solving problems for the kids and teachers. Give them a few weeks to catch their breath!

 

:grouphug:

[mommyoffive]

I would be mad too, but I think you got some good advice on just giving them some time to figure things out. 

 

Have you ever worked there?  Do you have a common name?  

 

I hope this all gets worked out quickly for you.

[Faithr]

But it isn't just an issue of technology.  Being sloppy about the technology but then demanding about how to volunteer in your own child's classroom means it is a lose-lose situation for the parent.  I have a daughter who works in public education.  She loves it but 1) they do have people jump through mind-numbing, stupid things (for instance she had to take a class 3 times because of some stupid requirement that made no sense and wasted money) and 2) they really do like to keep parents at bay.  Parents get in the way of things.   Some individual teachers see parents as partners but many, many do not.  

[Jean in Newcastle]

Requiring background checks is usually either a state or district requirement.  It is a requirement made to protect children, not to make things difficult. 

[Faithr]

Oh I agree that background checks are important.  I wasn't arguing against that.  I would want everyone to have one that works with children.  Especially in the public school system which is so rife with abuse!  I was stating the fact that the public school system is hopelessly bureaucratic (to the point of being absurd) and takes advantage of the fact that it puts the parent at a disadvantage.  If you are going to ask parents to do background checks in order to volunteer, they should then make sure they can actually get the background check.  I would be really frustrated by such a situation as the op is in.  It is absurd. 

[redsquirrel]

I would go right to my school board representative and the president of the board. My BIL is a school board member and he gets calls at all hours for things much smaller than this, trust me. He resolves them as well.

[MotherGoose]

Just a thought: in some places if you are under the direct supervision of a teacher or someone the whole time you can go without background check. It's only if you'll be alone that it's a problem. That could have changed.

[creekland]

Unbelievable. I have a first grader in the local public school. I am supposed to go in next week and read to the children. But I have to have a criminal background check. Fine.

 

But, when I go to do the background check online through the district, it lists me as an employee. So it says I don't need a background check. But, I am not an employee. So when they check the employee database, I am not listed. We have gone back and forth about this and either they can't fix it, they just don't know how, or no one is really trying. I am starting to get teary over this. It is looking more and more like I will just simply be excluded from any volunteer work, room parent, helping with parties, everything, because of this. And I am supposed to trust the schools to educate my children when they cannot even sort this out.

 

Strange!  Even employees need background checks in our state, so this seems weird.  It sounds like someone checked a box wrong somewhere.  It must be frustrating to not get it fixed quickly.  Do you know any other volunteers to ask them how they managed?

 

I disagree with you on this, Jean.  The problem of which the OP is complaining is just a symptom of a bigger problem:  bureaucratic, institutional stupidity.  That issue can be the root cause of a thousand and one different problems.  Imagine that type of systemic paralysis dealing with, say, an incompetent teacher.  Or perhaps with curriculum development, whatever your hot button issue is.  The inability to efficiently address problems may not seem like a huge deal in this instance (to others; obviously it is causing the OP a great deal of discomfort), but it could be the symptom of something bigger that may well affect other, "bigger" deals.  It would certainly affect my faith in the overall competence of the organization.

 

Those who are in charge of the background checks and IT in general in our district have absolutely nothing at all to do with incompetent teachers or curriculum or any other hot button issue.  They are totally different areas.  It'd be like saying the janitor was in charge of math curriculum - not even close.  He's the one to contact when the heat isn't working though.

 

Requiring background checks is usually either a state or district requirement.  It is a requirement made to protect children, not to make things difficult. 

 

It's a state requirement where I live - and we have to go through state channels to get it done (links given to us from the school).

[heartlikealion]

I literally just talked to our local public school about volunteering. They told me if it was more often it would require the background check. Maybe for a one time visit you could just go read without it???

[Lecka]

I would talk to the secretary in the front office of the school and see if she has an idea or if she has heard of it with other parents.

 

If they haven't heard anything, I would try to look on the website and email someone in the district once I was sure I wouldn't get any more advice from the school.

 

I would talk to office staff and not a teacher, teachers will not know this but front office staff may. If your front office staff is new this year, I don't know..... To me i would expect to stand in the office while the front office staff called around... But we had new staff one year and it took them a little while to get on their feet. They were (and remain) nice to the kids so it made it easier for me to be patient with them.

 

If it was not convenient for me I would try calling them, too. That is really the way to go here for administrative stuff. I would give it a try.

Edited September 20, 2016 by Lecka

[Pippen]

The people at the school have spoken to person in charge at the district. The person at the district who oversees the entire district it seems, only takes emails, not phone calls. She just comes back with "redo the application." That is it. And that is all she says.

 

Is this the person in charge as in the Superintendent, or the person in charge of technology?

 

Come to think of it, maybe you should contact the PTO president--if there is one--for advice. The last thing they will want to hear is that the district is having difficulty signing up qualified volunteers. I could see them leaping into action.  :smash:

 

Watch it be something like you share the same name as a district employee.

Edited September 20, 2016 by Pippen

[Janeway]

I saw a different form that could be used for background check if you do not have a social security number or just do not wish to submit it. I used that to submit. I do not know yet if it has gone through.

[KungFuPanda]

Is it a thorough background check, or are they just running your prints? I can't imagine them doing more than checking prints against the database and wanting a letter saying you're not a criminal. Where do people in your town who don't work for the school get this done? I'd run my prints there and just bring in the letter. Usually they just want proof that you not have a record.

[KungFuPanda]

On the other hand, you could submit paperwork for employee backpay and see if the confusion works in your favor 😬

[Arcadia]

If the person has a work email but no work phone number, he/she may have no permanent desk and mostly work from home.

 

On the other hand, you could submit paperwork for employee backpay and see if the confusion works in your favor 😬

Payroll has a high chance of being outsourced. Then the outsourced payroll team may not be on talking terms with the outsourced tech team.

[Spy Car]

Speak with the principal of the school. He or she is the person who can/should resolve the problem.

 

Bill

[QueenCat]

Maybe this is terrible, but what happens if you don't do it?  Just show up and read and just don't say anything?  

 

In the places I've lived where a background check is required for volunteers, you wouldn't get past the front office. They have a list of who can past that point. If you aren't on it, you aren't going past that point. Exceptions made for things like open houses and scheduled meetings.

[JanetC]

Call or email your elected representative on the school board. Your library should have the name of this person if you don't know it.

[Faithr]

Just find another employee, higher up, who will help. It's a bit asinine to hit a roadblock as small as this and automatically jump to the conclusion that public schools, therefore, can not be competent enough to educate. Think of it as a problem to be solved...brainstorm some alternate paths to resolution...how to not jump to such drastic conclusions...never give up on what you really want...you know, the kind of stuff they teach children in school.

This just seems uncalled for.  Many people in this thread have already advised the OP to talk to a different employee, etc.  So nothing new here except to insult the OP for being asinine and jumping to drastic conclusions.  

 

You know I don't think there is the great divide between great classroom teaching and poor tech/admin stuff that people may be imagining.  They do not exist in two separate spheres.  I don't know why others on this list choose to homeschool but one reason I did was so I could have some say in my children's education.  If I decided it was best to send one to school but I thought I would be able to volunteer a lot to stay involved and then I ran into an absurd problem that no one seemed to respect me enough to bother to deal with, I'd have a bad impression of the school system.  Teachers have to teach in that environment.  They have to deal with all the glitches, absurdity and demands that go on in the school system as well.  For instance my dd who is a special ed middle school social studies teacher in the local public school, has just been asked to help out with admin because one of the administrators is out on maternity leave.  Suddenly all the teachers have to cut into their planning time to help out.  Um, they knew this woman was going to have a baby!  They could have tried to plan better but instead they just breezily assume the teachers can pick up the slack.  Also last year my dd had two instructional assistants.  This year none.  Zip.  She is supposed to do all this IEP stuff with special ed students (some need instructions read aloud to them directly, in other words one one one help) and no assistants.  Our school system has one of the best reputations.  We live in a rich area where the teachers get paid well.  Yet even in these optimal conditions, there is a huge amount of turnover in the public schools here and a very high burn out rate.  A huge part of the problem is really bad support from admin and ever mounting demands due to changes in technology, systems, etc.  Teachers have a burdensome amount of paperwork and bureaucracy and stress to deal with.  To me, the fact that the school requires something and can't deliver on it for the OP is a sign of a deeper disease.  And I know it could just be this one weird glitch.  That's true, but I don't get the hostility toward the OP for questioning the school's capability, especially if she keeps getting the runaround when she tries to address the issue.  

[Arcadia]

Maybe this is terrible, but what happens if you don't do it? Just show up and read and just don't say anything?

The local school volunteers have a swipe card on lanyard with their name and photo which the volunteers used to check in at the general office and also wear while on campus. Teachers have their staff card on them too. So school security can check anytime.

 

Also ours requires volunteers to have a TB test negative result that is less than two years old. There is a free TB test for volunteers service.

[Garga]

If the person who was supposed to fix the problem wrote back and said, "Redo the application," I would. I would assume she made a change to the system and now I'd be able to enter it.

 

Or did you redo it and it still didn't work?

Edited September 21, 2016 by Garga

[heartlikealion]

The local school volunteers have a swipe card on lanyard with their name and photo which the volunteers used to check in at the general office and also wear while on campus. Teachers have their staff card on them too. So school security can check anytime.

 

Also ours requires volunteers to have a TB test negative result that is less than two years old. There is a free TB test for volunteers service.

 

That's at your school, but we don't know how they do things at the OPs. I mean they say the background check is necessary, but we don't know how serious they are about it for a reading day.

 

[EMS83]

I'm so sorry.  Medicaid had my 3rd child's birthday wrong for three years.  It was like no one knew who was supposed to fix that.  Oh, and because of that, they rejected a $4,000 hospital bill, but told me not to pay it.   :confused1:   Well mean we couldn't have, but...really?

 

I hope yours is straightened out forthwith and posthaste.