The Mid-Prairie School Board met on August 27th. Photo by Sam McIntosh.

Discussion on volunteers’ background checks was had by the Mid-Prairie School Board Monday.

The board approved the second reading of their new child abuse, non-school sponsored community groups, volunteers, and visitors policies, but some board members were torn on whether background checks should be done for volunteers every two or three years. Board President Jeremy Pickard said he would be fine with three years, but he would vote for two years if that’s the consensus.

Board member Jodi Meader asked Human Resources Coordinator Carmela Ulin what she would prefer, “I am fine with three [years] personally but I feel with the committee and what the community has spoken, I feel that we need to respect what they have come together and did.”

The committee that wrote the policies chose the two-year frequency, and that a more extensive background check be done which will include a federal criminal records search, national criminal database search and government watch list, sex offender record search, and Iowa Child and Dependent Adult Abuse Registry Information Search.

Board member Jim Hussey weighed the impact of both choices, “Either way it could be right, either way it could be wrong. I think if we’re going to be wrong I would rather be overcautious than not ‘undercautious’ is an improper word for it, but I would rather be overly cautious, find out after a couple of years that we didn’t need to do it that often and then ratchet back rather than ratchet up.”

The board approved the two-year background check unanimously. The background check’s cost is $28.50, which the board decided will be paid for by the district unless the volunteer wishes to donate the money to the district.