Wisconsin private school employees may have to undergo background screenings

While Wisconsin public schools are required to conduct background screenings on all teachers and staff before hiring them, private schools don't have to abide by the same standard. However, a bill was recently introduced - dubbed "common sense reform" - which would force schools being funded by taxpayers' dollars to follow the same hiring regulations as their public counterparts. "Students deserve some measure of safety and security in their classrooms, and with a simple background check, the state can help provide that," Sandy Pasch, a Wisconsin representative said in a written statement regarding the bill, entitled the Voucher Accountability and Child Safety Act, The Madison Cap Times noted. If passed, teachers, administrators and owners of private schools funded by taxpayers' money would all have to undergo background screening. Arizonian officials recently passed regulations making it a requirement for anyone working or volunteering with the Navajo Nation that may come into contact with a child to pass a background check as well, the Daily Times reported.