Under current Pennsylvania law, a prospective school employee may not be hired if he or she has been convicted of various specified crimes within five years of their potential employment. The crimes that ban employment include aggravated assault, sexual assault, homicide, rape, kidnapping and federal drug offenses. Even if one of these crimes was committed more than five years prior to the application, most school officials say they would not hire someone who had such a crime on their record.

It is apparent that the consequences of such a crime go far beyond jail time. However, a Pennsylvania lawmaker is seeking to add to the negative effects of a criminal conviction by enacting a lifetime employment ban on prospective employees who have been convicted of certain crimes.

According to Pennsylvania Senator Jeffrey Piccola, the new legislation would take a tiered approach to criminal convictions. The crimes listed above would carry a lifetime school employment ban, and anyone who has a first, second or third degree felony conviction other than those listed would be banned for 10 years. Anyone convicted of a first-degree misdemeanor would be banned for five years, and a DUI would carry a three-year ban.

But school officials say that the legislation is unnecessary. Currently, school districts perform multiple background checks before hiring an applicant, and officials have every right to decline employment based on an offense that occurred more than five years ago. Because of this, most of the crimes listed on Piccola's bill would eliminate those candidates anyway.

According to South Eastern School District Substitute Superintendent Robert Wildasin, school officials do not need the additional legislation to ensure the safety of school attendees. "I think relatively the safeguards are in place...assuming that all the checks are done thoroughly and timely," he said. "A school's responsibility for the welfare of children is huge. That's a responsibility you just cannot ever, ever take lightly."

Source: York Daily Record, "Bill aims to make it harder for schools to hire people with criminal backgrounds", Angie Mason, 12 February 2011