One-third of D.C. Public Schools employees have been working while their background checks have expired.
In a letter to parents Wednesday, D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Lewis Ferebee explained that 31% of the current DCPS staff members have clearances that have expired.
Ferebee explained that before being hired, all DCPS employees — including those at the Central Office — are required to undergo a screening, including fingerprinting and FBI background checks.
Ferebee said after finding that one-third of the current staffers had expired clearances, there has been an effort to update the backlog. Under the plan outlined by Ferebee, the priority is being placed on those staff members who work directly with children.
The goal is to have 100% of DCPS after-school and outside providers’ screenings completed by the first day of school, Aug. 26.
By the end of September, Ferebee wrote, it’s hoped that all DCPS school staff members will have their clearances updated, and then the final cohort of Central Office staff screenings would be done by the end of October.
The school system said the discovery of the out-of-date clearances came to light after it “learned that a partner organization was not in compliance with our background clearance requirements.” That prompted the review of background checks that revealed the expired clearances, Ferebee said.
Ferebee wrote in the letter that, “As we work to build trust, I will continue to be transparent with our community about our successes as well as our challenges as a district.”
WTOP contacted the school system for an interview with Ferebee.
DCPS sent a statement from Ferebee saying, in part, that there were “gaps” in Central Office monitoring and systems to ensure DCPS staff members maintain active clearances.
The statement said, in part: “To address them, we are implementing a rigorous plan that includes hiring additional staff to support compliance efforts, securing more fingerprinting machines and making systemic changes.”
