Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Background Checks of Employees – Doing Our Best to Ensure Student Safety


Every school district is required to complete a KBI background check on all new employees hired by the school district. USD 331 goes beyond that requirement and uses a service that provides additional information on employees beyond what is provided by the KBI checks. The KBI is a free service that will provide information about sexual predators, etc., but does not thoroughly vet the potential employee’s background regarding other areas that could be of concern to parents, students, and the district.

The district pays for a employee background screening service that will provide everything the KBI site provides, but also provides information on any court proceeding, arrest, or even traffic tickets. If a potential employee received multiple traffic tickets or a serious infraction, the district may decide to prohibit any transportation of students or even ban the use of school vehicles, though that has not been necessary to this point. Anything that shows up on the background check that could be potential risk to students or other district employees is thoroughly investigated and the administration and Board of Education is satisfied of safety before contracts or work agreements are provided to the potential employee.


The safety and security of USD 331 students and staff is paramount to the operation of the school district. We will continue to use all reasonable means to ensure that safety and security.

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Safety and the Start of School

Please be careful out there! School has begun and there are congested traffic areas near the schools before and after school. Please encourage your son or daughter to look both ways and check the traffic before crossing streets and to do so only in the appropriate areas. Use the crosswalks and the crossing guard areas where the adults can assist with looking out for vehicles. Those areas are the safest for getting to school.

Buses are out in full force too. The Kansas State Department of Education has helped produce two public service announcements regarding the illegal passing of stopped school buses. Please use the following link to see the video:http://www.ksde.org/Default.aspx?tabid=5810

Let's have a safe school year and work together so the students are safe.

Thank you.