Montgomery County Schools Have Over 12,000 Employees with Outdated Background Checks

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (7News) — A recent report from the Office of the Inspector General revealed that Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) has more than 12,000 employees with outdated criminal background checks. Additionally, nearly 4,900 of these employees have not undergone a thorough check by Child Protective Services.

MCPS parent Dawn Iannoco-Hahn expressed her worry after receiving a communication from the school system. She has two children enrolled at Blake High School and shared the message with 7News, which aimed to reassure parents about their children’s safety despite the troubling findings in the report.

“It was kind of weird getting that text,” Iannoco-Hahn said. “Like, ‘Why are you telling me your kids are safe?’ Obviously, it means they are not, and you’re ready to unload something else on it, and that’s exactly what happened.”

The lengthy audit criticized the school district for not adequately monitoring the criminal histories of all staff members. Although the district began utilizing the FBI’s database six years ago to continuously check records of employees in positions with unsupervised access to students, the report indicates a significant number of staff were not processed through the database.

The Montgomery County Council reacted strongly, labeling the report’s findings as alarming and unacceptable. Council members emphasized the need for improved coordination between agencies to prevent such failures in the future.

County Executive Mark Elrich also stated that MCPS leadership must take immediate steps to resolve the issues pointed out in the report. “It’s another way that MCPS has dropped the ball,” Iannoco-Hahn remarked. “They are not keeping the kids safe, and they are not keeping the staff safe either.”

In response to questions, the school district referred back to the report. It includes recommendations such as eliminating the backlog of CPS checks and ensuring that volunteers and contractors undergo criminal history checks prior to starting their roles.

“I had to be fingerprinted in order to go to outdoor education with my son,” Iannoco-Hahn pointed out. “How are they going to remedy this with 2-3 weeks before school starts? How are you going to suddenly vet 5,000 people in that time period?”

While MCPS has stated that every employee undergoes a criminal background check at hiring, they acknowledged the necessity for better ongoing monitoring. They plan to re-enter individuals hired before 2019 into the FBI’s continuous monitoring system called RapBack.

The Montgomery County Council is slated to meet in late September to discuss the Inspector General’s findings and formulate a corrective action plan.