Grand County School Board members reviewed the school district’s new policy on criminal background checks for district employees at the board’s July 21 meeting. The new policy coincides with changes enacted to the state policy for background checks that took effect in December 2009, school district officials said.

Until now, the Grand County School District has been out of compliance with the new 2009 regulations, which require all district employees to undergo a background check every six years at their own expense. Many of those employees are able to conduct the check as part of their re-certification and license renewal procedures, costing $20 and $60, respectively, and include a fingerprint and driver’s license scan, school district officials said last week.

School board members said it can take up to a month for the school district to receive the results of the background checks, but typically, the results are available much sooner.

“Had this policy been in place before December, we would not have caught the charges that came to light concerning the recent events with the substitute teacher back in 2007,” said Grand County School District Superintendent Margaret Hopkin, referring to information that came to light after charges were filed earlier this month against former Grand County substitute teacher and assistant coach, Trace Wells. Court records showed Wells had pleaded guilty in 2007 to attempting to supply minors with alcohol. On July 12, Wells was charged with raping two teenage girls who were students at Grand County High School.

Hopkin said that because the background check for Wells was conducted in 2005, when he first became a substitute teacher and volunteer coach, the new policy would require him to undergo a new background check prior to the 2010-2011 school year, which begins this fall.

The new background check policy also states that all employees are responsible for notifying their supervising principal and the district superintendent of all arrests and charges brought against them within 48 hours of the event. Failure to do so will result in dismissal, according to the new policy.

“It is still a self-reporting method,” Hopkin said. “The police do not have to report to us about any of our employees. But before December, district employees could have kept these matters private. That is not an option anymore.”

Hopkin also said that the board may request a background check at any time for any employee if school board members deem it necessary. Board members agreed it was time for the policy to be revamped, since the last time the regulations governing background checks was reviewed was in 2000.

Editor's Note: This version corrects a quote from GCSD Superintendent Margaret Hopkin regarding the new background check policy.