COLUMBUS — To better screen volunteers in its youth programs, a new Ohio State University policy requires those who work with children to be fingerprinted every four years.
Who
Since 2002, new volunteers in OSU Extension youth programs — including roughly 20,000 4-H advisers and Master Gardener volunteers across the state — have been required to have an Ohio Bureau of Criminal Activity fingerprint and background check.
The new policy now requires all students, staff and volunteers working in these programs to be fingerprinted every four years.
And it doesn’t matter if you’ve been a 4-H adviser for 40 years. Volunteers who were “grandfathered” in 2002 and have never been fingerprinted are also subject to the policy.
Why
Kirk Bloir, associate state 4-H leader, said the university expects there to be some resistance to the new policy, particularly from longtime volunteers. But it’s being applied consistently to all volunteers, he explained, to ensure the safety of the children in the programs.
Bloir said some new volunteer applicants have been disqualified since the policy went into effect, but to date, no current volunteers have been asked to step down because of something the check turned up.
What
The Ohio Revised Code specifies certain criminal convictions as disqualifying events. These range from the more obvious — convictions for rape, murder, assault and various sex- or drug-related offenses — to the less obvious — crimes such as voyeurism, putting harmful objects in food or confection, and interference with custody.
A full list of disqualifying offenses can be found at www.go.osu.edu/DQoffenses.
When
The program is being phased in over the four years. For example, persons who began volunteering before 2012 would be required to be fingerprinted by the end of 2015.
Some 4-H programs, Bloir said, are already on more stringent fingerprinting renewal schedules, such as its National Guard partnership program, Operation: Military Kids, which requires that volunteers be fingerprinted yearly.
How much
The base cost of fingerprinting is set by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and administrative costs vary by location or agency providing the service.
Volunteers are required to pay for the fingerprinting, which generally costs between $30 and $40
If a volunteer has not lived in Ohio for the past five years, he may also need to be fingerprinted by the FBI, which costs $30.
Some county Extension offices or county 4-H programs are subsidizing a portion of the fingerprinting cost, Bloir said.
Where
Fingerprinting is conducted at most county sheriff’s offices and, in most cases, requires an appointment. A list of locations providing fingerprinting services can be found at www.myfbireport.com/locations/lawEnforcement/OH.php.
Bloir also suggested contacting the agency that will be doing the fingerprinting to see what forms of identification and other information are required.
Who sees information
The fingerprint information, Bloir said, will be used only for the purpose of the background check.
“It is a biometric scanning tool — a form of identification that belongs to you and no one else,” he said. “We don’t keep anything on file. We get a report from the agency and in the vast majority of cases there are no convictions of any kind in the (volunteer’s) background.”
More details
For more information, visit http://go.osu.edu/Policy150 or contact the OSU 4-H Youth Development office at 614-247-8168.
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The policy is sound and it makes good sense. The only possible issue is that fingerprints don’t tell the whole story. For years, they would only provide you with retainable charge information. Charges like DUI and drunk in public were not considered, “retainable.” The other issue is that they do not always include case disposition. There are other compliance issues as well.
Dusty Lefdal
eischecks.com
I totally believe in protecting our youth the only problem i have is —is it fair for VOLUNTEERS to have to absorb the cost of having this done every 4 years–even if half was paid for it would help not everyone can afford to dish out the money
Yes, it is an appreciable step to protect the children from any kind of minor or violent crimes. Fingerprints can help in many ways to the authorities if anything wrong happens. It will help them to investigate the matter properly and find out more accurate results. But, as much as possible, there should not be negligent hiring. Backgrounds of the volunteers must be checked by the authorities before giving them green sign. Apart from that, for accurate background check information and proper regulatory compliance, they should hire a reliable background check company.