This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2010, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A bill that would require school employees and volunteers to undergo background checks at their own expense passed the House on Friday.
The bill follows changes the State Board of Education made last year after a legislative audit revealed some school employees had criminal backgrounds. State rule now requires teachers to undergo background checks every time they renew their teaching licenses. And it requires non-licensed school employees to also undergo periodic checks.
The bill, HB81, extends those checks to include volunteers who are "given significant unsupervised access to a student."
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Sheryl Allen, R-Bountiful, passed the House 65-0. It now moves to the Senate.
Lisa Schencker
