Officials defend background checks on hurricane victims
Wisconsin officials on Friday defended their policy of subjecting Hurricane Katrina victims to criminal background checks once they stepped off the plane here seeking help.
“Most people who came here were victimized by Hurricane Katrina so we wanted to ensure they would not be victimized by someone who was with them on the plane,” said Marvin Pratt, the former acting mayor of Milwaukee who is coordinating relief efforts there. Read More

Free Background Checks For Those Housing Hurricane Victims
BEREA, OH - September 7, 2005 (INB) — Background Network, Inc, a background check company in Northeast Ohio is offering free background checks to those volunteering free housing for Hurricane Katrina victims.
In order to assist those in need of housing and the people that are offering their homes to displaced families and individuals, Background Network, Inc. is offering free background checks to those volunteering living space to Katrina victims.
“It may sound a bit cold-hearted to ask someone who has just lost everything to submit a background check, but we believe it is a necessity,” says Ted Moss, President of the Northeast Ohio screening company. “After all, you want to keep your family safe, and perhaps other victims that may be staying in your home,” he continued.
The company’s offer is to determine that the potential house guest is in fact from the hurricane ravaged region, and it is their true identity. They will also conduct a criminal record search to check for any serious violations. If you are in need of this free screening service, you can go to the company’s website at www.crimcheck.com.
The requirements for conducting the check include: The subjects name, date of birth and social security number. They can provide this to Background Network directly. You will also have to provide your information and proof that you are housing a Katrina victim. If you signed up through one of the many websites to offer living space, just provide the link to your listing. If you would like to volunteer to help a homeless survivor, you can go to the following websites: www.hurricanehousing.org or www.hurricanehousingsearch.com Click To Conduct Background Checks

State to begin periodic background checks on foster parents
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Caseworkers will do monthly criminal checks on foster car providers and other adults taking care of children being overseen by the state after a state audit released last month showed 321 foster care providers had criminal convictions. Read More

Bush: Let’s simplify checks for schools
A law that requires criminal background checks for anyone working at a school has caused headaches that the governor and schools want to fix.
TALLAHASSEE - Gov. Jeb Bush said he wants to make it easier and cheaper for businesses to comply with a new Florida law requiring school vendors to pass criminal background checks, suggesting relief may come as early as next month. It has been a little more than a week since the Jessica Lunsford Act went into effect, but one provision already is snarled in red tape.
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Out-of-state educators looking to move into Texas classrooms
A Louisiana teacher may soon be joining the ranks of educators with the Lufkin school district, according to LISD Superintendent David Sharp. The news comes not long after the Texas Education Agency announced special accommodations to allow retirees and Louisiana teachers into Texas classrooms in an attempt to ensure schools have enough educators to handle the surge of new students from Hurricane Katrina-stricken areas. Read More

Crime background check for evacuees
Hurricane Katrina evacuees arriving in Utah were given food, showers and clean clothing. . . . and a criminal background check. The checks were conducted on everyone age 18 and older, a Utah Department of Public Safety spokesman said Friday. The checks identified two people with outstanding warrants and one person on federal parole, but no one was arrested or expelled from the evacuee center at Camp Williams, said Lt. Doug McCleve. The background checks were part of a larger effort to keep the Katrina refugees safe as well as the workers and volunteers helping them, McCleve said. “We had small children. We had elderly folks. And we didn’t know where [the refugees] came from,” McCleve said. “Can you imagine if we would not have checked into this stuff and we would have put the wrong person in the wrong place?”
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