SUNBURY — An amendment to the state’s new Child Protective Services Law has many area volunteers worried about the costs and paper work for mandatory background checks. However, state representative Fred Keller (R-85th, Kreamer) says the checks are a blessing, not a burden.
“This was the panel that came out of the Sandusky tragedy,” Keller said. “Who needs them? If it is a program or activity where somebody has regular and continued contact, yes, they will need to have one. The law we just passed would make it so that if you’re going into a classroom to help kids and there is a teacher there, you wouldn’t need one because there is an adult there who has the responsibility. If you are just taking kids somewhere because you have a game, if that’s not regular and continual, you won’t need one.”
Keller said if you are an adult who must accept responsibility for a child on a regular basis — for example, teachers, coaches and Sunday school teachers — you must get the background check.
“I think that the important part too, is that more people will need them, but that’s because more people are mandated reporters — and that’s important to keep the kids safe,” Keller said. “I’m glad that there was an idea and the governor took that idea and has done an executive order to make the clearances free for the PSP and the DHS clearances. The bill is over to the senate and we are hopeful that this will be done.”
There is a fact sheet with more information about the background checks online at Pasafekids.org. Keller was a guest on On The Mark Friday morning. (Codi Jade)