Creating a safe and supportive environment for students is a top priority for schools. Whether hiring a new teacher or welcoming a volunteer for an after-school program, educational institutions must take steps to ensure that every adult on campus can be trusted with the responsibility of working around children.

Background checks are one of the most essential tools schools use to maintain this safety. They help uncover any red flags that could compromise student well-being or damage the institution’s reputation. From criminal records to identity verification, schools rely on thorough vetting processes to make informed decisions about who they bring into their communities.

In this blog, we’ll explore what schools typically look for in background checks for both employees and volunteers, and why these checks are critical in maintaining the integrity and security of the educational system.

Why Are Background Checks Essential in Schools?

Background checks play a crucial role in creating a safe educational environment. With students being particularly vulnerable, schools have a duty to thoroughly vet anyone who interacts with them—whether for a few hours a week or on a daily basis.

1. Safeguarding Students from Potential Risks

The primary reason for conducting background checks is to protect students from harm. By identifying individuals with a history of violence, abuse, or other criminal behavior, schools can prevent potentially dangerous people from gaining access to children.

2. Verifying Qualifications and Integrity

Background screening also helps confirm a candidate’s education, work history, and any required certifications. This ensures that staff and volunteers are not only trustworthy but also qualified for the roles they’re taking on.

3. Reducing Legal and Reputational Risk

Failure to conduct proper background checks can result in legal consequences and damage to the school’s reputation. By following due diligence and complying with local laws and education department guidelines, schools can protect themselves from liability and demonstrate a commitment to student safety.

Types of School Background Checks

To ensure a comprehensive review of every candidate or volunteer, schools rely on multiple types of background checks. Each serves a specific purpose and contributes to a well-rounded risk assessment.

1. Criminal Background Checks

These are the foundation of most school screening processes. They involve checking federal, state, and local criminal records to identify any past convictions or pending charges.

• Sex Offender Registry Checks are crucial to prevent individuals with a history of sexual offenses from being hired or allowed on campus.
• Child Abuse Registry Checks help flag individuals previously involved in cases of child abuse or neglect.

2. Employment Verification

Schools verify a candidate’s work history to confirm past roles, performance, and duration of employment. This helps ensure the individual has the relevant experience and a record of professional conduct.

3. Education and Credential Verification

Validating degrees, teaching certifications, and licenses is essential to confirm that candidates are properly qualified for the role, especially for teaching or administrative positions.

4. Drug Testing

Some schools conduct drug screening to ensure a drug-free workplace—particularly important in safety-sensitive roles like transportation or supervision.

5. Driving Record Checks

For roles involving student transportation, such as school bus drivers, driving record checks help assess whether the candidate has a history of violations, DUIs, or reckless behavior behind the wheel.

6. Credit History Checks

While not common for all positions, credit checks may be used for roles involving financial management or handling school funds, offering insight into a candidate’s financial responsibility.

Volunteer Background Checks

Volunteers often play a vital role in school communities—supporting classrooms, mentoring students, or helping with events. But because they still interact closely with children, background checks for volunteers are just as important as those for employees.

1. Criminal Background Checks for Volunteers

Any volunteer who will be in direct contact with students is typically required to undergo a criminal background check. This helps schools ensure that individuals with histories of violence, abuse, or other serious offenses are not placed in positions of trust around children.

2. Chaperone Checks for Events and Field Trips

Even short-term volunteers, such as field trip chaperones or event helpers, are often screened. These checks are generally less extensive but still focus on criminal history and sex offender registries to maintain student safety in off-campus settings.

3. Can Individuals with a Criminal Record Still Volunteer?

This often depends on the nature of the offense, how long ago it occurred, and local or state regulations. Minor offenses or non-violent misdemeanors may not automatically disqualify someone. However, any history involving harm to children, sexual offenses, or violent crimes is usually a disqualifier. Schools must balance inclusion with student safety, often making case-by-case decisions in line with legal guidance.

APS Background Check Requirements

Atlanta Public Schools (APS) has established a detailed background screening process for both employees and volunteers to ensure a safe and secure environment for all students.

Employee Background Checks

All prospective APS employees are required to undergo fingerprinting and a criminal background check before they begin work. These checks are essential for issuing APS ID badges and allowing controlled access to school premises.

Volunteer Background Checks

APS classifies volunteers into three levels based on the nature of their interaction with students:

• Level 1: Volunteers with no direct student contact (e.g., facility helpers during off-hours) are not required to complete a criminal background check but must sign a Volunteer Release Form kept on file at the school.
• Level 2: Volunteers with supervised student interaction must complete both a Volunteer Release Form and a Criminal History Release Form. A name-based background check is conducted by the APS Office of Safety & Security.
• Level 3: Volunteers with unsupervised access to students (such as overnight chaperones) must undergo fingerprinting and a comprehensive background check through federal and state agencies. These checks are typically paid for by the volunteer or a sponsoring organization.

Periodic Re-Screening Requirements

To maintain ongoing compliance and uphold safety standards:

• Employees are re-screened every five years through repeat fingerprinting and background checks.
• Volunteers must renew their security clearance every two years through re-screening.

These rigorous protocols reflect APS’s commitment to student safety and the importance of continuous vetting in educational environments.

The Role of Verified Volunteers in Background Checks

To manage the increasing number of volunteers and ensure consistent screening standards, many schools turn to third-party background check platforms like Verified Volunteers (now part of Sterling Volunteers). These platforms are designed to simplify and streamline the process while ensuring full compliance with school district policies and legal requirements.

1. Efficient and Scalable Screening

Platforms like Verified Volunteers allow schools to process high volumes of background checks quickly. Volunteers can initiate and manage their own background check process online, reducing administrative workload for school staff.

2. Enhanced Accuracy and Standardization

These services conduct thorough screenings using national databases, sex offender registries, and local court records—ensuring no critical information is missed. The standardized process ensures that every volunteer is held to the same safety criteria.

3. Built-In Compliance and Re-Screening Support

Verified Volunteers also support periodic re-screening, automated reminders, and digital record-keeping, helping schools maintain compliance with local laws and district policies over time.

By integrating platforms like Verified Volunteers into their screening process, schools can protect students while creating a smooth and secure onboarding experience for volunteers.

Legal Considerations in School Background Checks

Conducting background checks in educational settings involves more than just gathering information—schools must also navigate a range of legal responsibilities to ensure fairness, accuracy, and privacy.

1. Compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)

Schools that use third-party agencies to conduct background checks must comply with the FCRA. This federal law ensures that individuals are treated fairly during the screening process. It requires schools to:

• Obtain written consent from the candidate or volunteer before conducting a background check.
• Inform individuals if any adverse action (like denial of employment or volunteer status) is taken based on the results.
• Provide a copy of the report and a summary of rights under the FCRA.

2. State-Specific Background Check Laws

In addition to federal regulations, each state has its own rules governing what can be included in a background check and how far back records can be searched. For example, some states restrict access to arrest records without convictions or limit the reporting of offenses older than seven years.

3. Confidentiality and Data Protection

Maintaining privacy throughout the background check process is essential. Schools must securely handle all personal information and ensure that only authorized personnel have access to sensitive background data. Mishandling such information can not only lead to legal issues but also damage trust within the school community.

By following these legal guidelines, schools can conduct thorough and ethical background checks while safeguarding the rights of candidates and volunteers.

How Phyllo Enables Social Media Background Checks

Traditional background checks often miss crucial context about a person’s online behavior and public presence. That’s where Phyllo’s Social Screening technology comes in—offering deeper, AI-powered insights from social media activity.

While Phyllo is widely used by brands and agencies for influencer vetting, its capabilities are equally applicable to schools and education-focused institutions looking to assess candidates or volunteers more holistically.

What Phyllo Offers:

Compliant and Ethical Screening

Phyllo ensures social media checks are conducted in a compliant and privacy-conscious manner. The platform aligns with GARM standards and platform policies, and only uses permissioned data.

Comprehensive, Real-Time Insights

Access up-to-date content from platforms like Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, X, and LinkedIn. The system reviews not just recent posts but content dating back up to 7 years, scanning text, audio, video, and even overlay captions​​.

AI-Powered Automation

Phyllo’s Contextual AI automates the entire vetting process—eliminating manual errors and significantly reducing review time from 40 hours to under 15 minutes per profile​​.

Advanced Content Safety Checks

The platform flags content across key safety categories such as:

• Violence
• Hate speech and aggression
• Sexual content
• Toxic language (text or audio)
• Substance references
  It also supports custom keyword scanning to assess stances on political or social topics​.

Informed Decision-Making

By surfacing potential red flags and offering deep insights into a person’s online behavior, Phyllo empowers decision-makers to make safer, more informed calls—whether hiring staff, onboarding volunteers, or partnering with influencers.