This article was written by Samir Ali Nomani of Fairfax County Times and can be found here.

After announcing with great fanfare two months ago that Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) was the first school district in Virginia to launch a new FBI background check for volunteers, FCPS Superintendent Michelle Reid last week responded to criticism that the new process was too time-consuming and reversed course, eliminating an extra FBI “Rap Back” background check.

Some parents expressed concern that the lower security measures would jeopardize the safety of their children, while school officials sent volunteers a message of reassurance. Under the “Rap Back” system, launched on July 1, FCPS coordinated with the Virginia State Police to run a “continuous criminal background check monitoring system” on all employees, contractors, and “Level 3 volunteers,” who “work directly with students without staff supervision.”

FCPS school board member Mateo Dunne acknowledged that the new registration system was “poorly planned and executed” and said that he supports new security measures that are “properly planned and executed.”

“I support thorough background checks for FCPS employees and community members. However, if FCPS is going to adopt a more bureaucratic and labor-intensive volunteer registration system, it must be properly planned and executed, so parent volunteers can continue their critical involvement and support for local schools,” Dunne said.  

In an email dated Nov. 5, FCPS said, “Effective today, we are implementing an immediate, temporary operational change to the Level 3 volunteer background check process.” 

“We are pausing the requirement for most Level 3 volunteer fingerprinting and FBI Rap Back enrollment,” it continued. 

Mentors, host parents, and non-parent volunteers who have “frequent, direct, and unsupervised contact with students” will still be required to undergo a fingerprinting process, according to the email. 

All new volunteers will now have to sign a “Volunteer Certification Statement,” confirming that volunteers have no history of violent felonies, physical or sexual crimes against children, or crimes of “moral turpitude.” 

FCPS said it was pulling back on the background check because a high volume of Level 3 volunteer applications had caused “significant delays” in the process, impacting the school district’s ability to “clear volunteers quickly and effectively.” 

FCPS said its goal is to “streamline” the volunteering process while ensuring safety. It reminded volunteers that they still have to sign in and out of schools using a kiosk and wear a FCPS-issued sticker when volunteering. 

Some parents, however, are worried about the changes. 

“I think the weakening of the FCPS volunteer vetting process is a net reduction in protections for the students. Other parents I know and several of my oldest son’s friends have also expressed concern. I reached out to but have not heard back from FCPS,” said local parent Patrick Beam. 

“I think FCPS should accept longer processing times for volunteers or invest in additional resources to increase processing throughput rather than lower standards,” he said. 

FCPS, however, insists that it is not jeopardizing student safety. 

“Fairfax County Public Schools is unwavering in its commitment to student safety,” said FCPS Spokesperson Julie Allen. 

“This year, FCPS adopted Volunteer FCPS to ensure centralized volunteer management, equitable access to volunteer opportunities, consistent volunteer training, and enhanced volunteer safety measures, including background checks and fingerprinting for a significantly increased portion of the FCPS volunteer population,” she said.  

“Due to the unprecedented volunteer engagement using this new system and resulting strain on operational resources, FCPS has returned our fingerprinting and background check requirements to the same levels as prior years — which are consistent with surrounding school divisions,” said Allen. 

According to Allen, FCPS actually added additional safety measures. 

There will be a continuation of registration and training, where all volunteers will continue to register and complete volunteer training through Volunteer FCPS. 

There will also be check-in procedures, where all FCPS schools are reinforcing strict check-in and sign-out procedures for all volunteers and visitors. According to Allen, this ensures everyone visiting FCPS schools is not listed on the Virginia or Federal sex offender registry. 

Additionally, for select roles that continue to require fingerprinting and background checks, Allen said that, specifically, mentors, host families, and non-parent volunteers with frequent, unsupervised contact will also be enrolled in Rap Back to ensure FCPS is notified if the volunteer engages in criminal activity. 

Allen said that, as part of ongoing safety measures, all volunteers will now be required to sign a certification statement attesting that they have no convictions for violent felonies or crimes against children.

“These measures allow FCPS volunteers to support schools while implementing enhanced safety measures and prioritizing student safety,” Allen said.

Dunne recognized the flawed implementation of the new security protocol, saying, “FCPS implemented a new volunteer registration system for volunteers this fall, which requires a rigorous background check and fingerprinting. Unfortunately, the implementation was poorly planned and executed. Many volunteers submitted their applications and underwent fingerprinting at inconvenient locations, then waited months for approval,” he said.

Dunne said he has worked closely with FCPS administration to streamline the volunteering process. 

“I have worked directly with the superintendent’s office to clear the backlog for my constituents, so they can tutor students, participate in field trips, and support PTA/PTO activities,” Dunne said.  

“In the interim, FCPS has suspended the new volunteer registration system and reverted to the previous system, which requires volunteers to swipe their driver’s licenses in machines at each school. This system has worked well for many years,” he said. 

“I strongly support parent involvement in the education of their children. Parents are the first and most important educators, and parent volunteers are an indispensable element of a world-class education,” Dunne said.