Increased attention to CORI tests tightens hiring process regulations

Brockton, Massachusetts school committee members met for a closed, 90-minute session last week to discuss the implementation of a more dedicated task force for Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) tests, according to The Patriot Ledger. The meeting came in response to the arrest of Kevin Tressler, a tutor at Angelo Elementary School in Brockton, who was accused of rape. Tressler's CORI form allegedly got lost in the school's system during his application process. "I don’t want people to have a false sense of security from a CORI check," Patricia Joyce, Ward Four School committee member, told the news source. Superintendent Matt Malone emerged from the meeting with new CORI procedures in place. They include a three-person team to receive applications, another team to manage the information that the district receives and a third person to oversee the entire process. In Lynn, Massachusetts, increased attention to CORI checks have resulted in a drop in the number of eligible foster families for neglected or abused children, according to The Daily Item. The news source notes that there might be something in an applicant's past that would be flagged during a background check. Pamela Freeman, Director of the Lynn Community Connections Coalition, tells the news source that a lot of people cannot pass a CORI.