Report: No background check for Iowa teacher aides

reported this week most teachers’ aides hired by Iowa’s public schools aren’t required by state law to undergo background checks and even when districts do run checks, the process is often less rigorous as the one required for licensed educators, according to the Associated Press. Federal criminal checks were added as part of the teacher…

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Florida welfare drug testing law heads to appeals court

drug test, and the ultimate outcome could affect similar efforts in other states. Florida’s law, adopted in 2011, required welfare applicants to pay for and pass a drug test to receive benefits. It was in effect from July through October last year before it was temporarily blocked by a federal judge who said welfare drug testing…

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AAU background check finds 150 adult participants with "issues"

The findings came from a screening of 27,000 adults between Sept. 1 and Oct. 15, the AAU said in a statement. It is performing security reviews on more than 100,000 coaches, adult athletes, volunteers and support staff to help identify those who might be threats to child athletes, including pedophiles and people convicted of drug-related…

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EEOC: Be careful when conducting criminal background checks

Companies that ask job applicants if they’ve been convicted of a felony or check criminal histories expose themselves to potential discrimination lawsuits: “I would suggest to (businesses) that they think…about why they think they need to do a criminal background check,” said John Hendrickson, the regional attorney for the EEOC’s Chicago district. The EEOC in…

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North Carolina business owners weighing up economy

The Pittsburgh-based bank surveyed a sample of businesses across the state in late summer. The study shows only 15% of the respondents are optimistic about their company’s prospects over the next six months, down from 22% in the spring. About 23% said they are pessimistic about the next six months, up from 20% in the…

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Tennessee studies welfare drug testing in six other states

The Tennessean. Legislation approved this year mandates the drug-testing program and gives the Department of Human Services until January 2014 to finalize a plan. Over the next two years, the department must submit quarterly progress reports to two General Assembly committees. “The Department hopes to gain insight on how other states have implemented their policy…

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Over 50% of hiring managers have hired an applicant with a criminal record

Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice Statistics, and a recent Career Builder survey suggests that 51% of human-resource managers reported that their organization has hired one of these individuals. The study included 2,298 U.S. hiring managers and human-resource professionals and was conducted between May 14 and June 4, 2012, and went on to ask  hiring managers to share what job…

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City of Columbia requires background checks for the homeless

background checks on the homeless individuals that hope to stay there. “Those who stay at the shelter must register and provide identification, which will be verified. That information is shared with police, who then may choose to run warrant checks to see if tenants are wanted on criminal charges”, according to The Slate. Homeless advocates…

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