NEW: Legislation OKd to Require BCI Checks for Student Mentors
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Individuals seeking jobs with a private school or public school department are required by law to undergo national and state criminal background checks.
Passed and sent to the governor are two bills – 2012-H 7077 by Rep. Joseph M. McNamara (D-Dist. 19, Warwick, Cranston) and 2012-S 2513aa, by Sen. William A. Walaska (D-Dist. 30, Warwick).
The legislation, said the sponsors, is aimed at improving the safety of students by extending the background check to mentors who, like others working in an educational setting, have direct and regular contact with young people.
The legislation was introduced at the recommendation of the Rhode Island Mentoring Program, a non-profit organization that provides training and supporting for mentoring agencies in the state. The group operates the Feinstein Mentor Training Institute and one-on-one school-based mentoring programs in Warwick, Woonsocket and on Aquidneck Island.
