School board talks safe hiring

By KEITH COUSINS

Staff Writer

COEUR d’ALENE — Coeur d’Alene School District Trustees directed district administrators Monday to investigate three potential measures that would increase the timeliness of background checking new hires.

The direction took place during a special meeting of the board Monday evening, which included discussion on employee-hiring practices throughout the district. Multiple trustees expressed concern at the meeting that school district employees are often working in Coeur d’Alene schools for weeks before a thorough background check is completed at the state level.

“There is an expectation, I think if you asked your average parent, that those things are done before they’re in the classroom,” said Board Chair Casey Morrisroe.

“Until we know who we are dealing with, we shouldn’t put them in schools,” added Trustee Dave Eubanks.

Morrisroe offered the first suggestion to district administration by citing the Blaine County School District, which he said purchased a digital fingerprint scanner that allegedly speeds up the state’s background check process to two weeks, versus the typical 10-14.

The board chair continued to offer suggestions, which were unanimously agreed upon by the remainder of the trustees, for further expediting the background-check process. There are multiple services, Morrisroe said, that provide background checks for prospective employees.

“I think that makes sense for our district,” Morrisroe said, adding it could be well worth the cost when weighed against the time the district’s Human Resources Department is putting into in-house checks.

Finally, Morrisroe suggested the district look into hiring a third-party human resources consultant to closely examine current hiring practices within the district. That individual, he said, could inform trustees and district administration as to what is being done wrong, as well as what is working.

“That could at least build some confidence,” Morrisroe said. “I think it would be nice to get that outside perspective.”

Trustee Christa Hazel — who, in an article recently published in The Press, publicly voiced her frustrations with district hiring practices — also touched on a larger topic related to hiring. According to Hazel, the district’s list of criminal offenses that disqualify an individual for employment are not strict enough. Often, Hazel said, individuals with multiple misdemeanors for things like driving under the influence and battery end up gaining employment.

“I’m having a hard time with it,” Hazel said. “If I use this (disqualification) list in search of a babysitter, I can’t just use that.”

Trustees, she added, are ultimately responsible for the final approval of district hires.

“I don’t know who I’m lending my name and reputation to,” she said. “We have a duty to protect the safety and morals of our kids.”