Parents Demand Background Checks for Rec Council Volunteers

Galvanized by the Penn State sex scandal, a group of Arbutus parents is calling for background checks on coaches and volunteers who participate in programs sponsored by local councils of the Batimore County Depatment of Recreation and Parks.

At tryouts for the Arbutus Recreation and Parks Council basketball program at on Nov. 19, Angie Imbraguglio asked parents to sign a petition demanding the adoption of background checks.

"For Arbutus baseball, you have to have a background check even if you want to keep score," said Imbraguglio, whose two pre-teen sons play basketball and two younger girls play in the soccer program.

Imbraguglio said that she enrolled her boys at for a week-long basketball day camp last summer.

"I dropped them off without even thinking of whether they have background checks," she said. "It could be too late by the time you think of it."

Background checks are an increasingly common part of the employment process, particularly for government jobs. They are available from several sources on the web, at costs ranging from $10-50.

Public school teachers and employees of the Department of Recreation and Parks undergo background checks and fingerprinting.

According to county recreation and parks director Barry F. Williams, all staff members in department-sponsored programs have had background checks.

However, no background checks are done on the 55,000 people who volunteer as coaches or in other capacities through the county's 45 community recreation councils, Williams said.

Community recreation councils sponsor parades and special events, summer camps and day care, and programs in sports and the performing arts.

"At different times, different folks have looked at" background checks, Williams said. "It's a mammoth situation, and not as simple as some people think it is."

According to its web site, Howard County Department of Recreation and Parks requires background checks for volunteers in all programs and activities.

Boy Scouts of America requires a background check and two references for adult volunteers, according to Ethan Draddy, scout executive for the BSA Baltimore Area Council.

Little League requires background checks on coaches, scorekeepers and others involved in baseball games, including those who operate concession stands.

"They do background checks on everyone who has access to kids," said Jeff Smith, president of Arbutus Little League. "It's basically everybody on the field."

The cost of a background check is a worthwhile precaution, said Smith, who has about 150 volunteers involved in Arbutus baseball.

"Absolutely, I do think it's worthwhile," he said. "Having the ability to check out a person on a database is invaluable."

Others contend that commercially available background checks are superficial and ineffective.

"The type of background check that they're doing is a surface check," said Michele Pasta of Arbutus, who has coached basketball for nine years. "They're pulling up public records and seeing what's on the computer. I can go home and do that."

The cost of a background check, she said, is an additional expense that won't deter a predator.

"If somebody wants to harm someone, they will find a way to do it," Pasta said. "I don't think a $10 background check will deter anyone."

A commercially available background check doesn't necessarily provide an accurate picture of an individual's criminal history, Williams said.

"All we could say is that in January somebody had a clean record, and in March they could do something," he said. "Sometimes background checks give you a false sense of security."

The most effective defense against predators is vigilance, Williams said. "The best assurance is to be actively involved in your kid's activities," he said.

Monica Campbell of Arbutus, a coach and recreation council board member, said that she was always present on the field when her daughters--now in college--played in youth athletics.

"As a parent, I want to make sure that any time my child is in an area where they are going to be alone with an adult for any length of time, yes I want a background check," she said. "When we're talking about these kinds of rec programs and the sports they're involved in, I'm there as a parent. I know what's going on."

"The onus comes down on the parents," Campbell said. "There are no guarantees, even with their [children's] teachers."