Background Checks for School Trustees
Background checks might be considered for people seeking election as school trustees. The issue of requiring criminal record checks was raised by Donna Allen, re-elected to the Nanaimo-Ladysmith Board of Education for a third term last fall. Should such criminal record checks be required?
Allen became concerned about the lack of criminal record checks, and the possible effect on children’s safety, during the campaign because she said one of her opponents did not fully disclose his 2006 criminal conviction for marijuana production.
She said she knows the issue is divisive and is worried that raising it at the board table would be a distraction for trustees who have other important issues to address.
Most people are unaware that school trustees – unlike others in the education system – are not required to have background checks. Without a legislated requirement, voters must rely on candidates to reveal pertinent criminal records. However, this is not acceptable.
The Importance of Canadian Pardons
The importance of getting a Canadian pardon (record suspension) cannot be emphasized enough. New laws about Canadian record suspensions might make erasing a person's past from public record more difficult; nevertheless, people do make mistakes, and the right to obtain a record suspension and a US entry waiver is important in order to move forward in one’s life.
Receiving a record suspension enables a person to live just as if he had never committed a crime – a pardoned crime will not be disclosed on a criminal record check provided by the RCMP. A clean criminal record is a requirement for moving forward, and applying for a record suspension is the route to follow. Obtaining a pardon is a long process, so it’s best to start well in advance. Seeking the assistance of a Client Specialist at Pardon Services Canada will make that process easier and provide the assurance needed.
