On June 12, 2023, Ron Desantis signed Senate Bill 676 into law in the state of Florida. The law was wide-ranging and changed screening processes in several areas, but one part is set to come to fruition at the end of this year. Specifically, many volunteers for Florida public schools will need to obtain a level 2 background check starting January 1, 2026. Volunteers play a crucial role in many of our programs and sports, and there are concerns about how this new policy, and especially its associated costs, may influence their ability to service in schools.
Previously, any volunteer who may end up alone with students or is working in another sensitive position was required to have a level 1 background check. This meant that the district checked county records to review their criminal record as well as checking nationally for any felony charges. On the other hand, a level two check is much more intensive involving a fingerprinting so that national and state databases can be thoroughly reviewed to find any aggravated assault, aggravated battery, or offenses against students. Level 2 checks also review the sexual offender and sexual predator registries in any area the volunteer applicant has lived in the past five years.
While it may seem that more in-depth background checks are a good thing for public schools in Florida, the main issue with SB676 is that the fingerprinting process costs each volunteer $97. So, due to financial restraints, many schools will not only struggle to find more volunteers but also struggle to maintain already established volunteers, throwing a wrench in many organizations within the schools.
As Cypress Athletic Director Betty Rodriguez said, “Making sure that everyone who works with our students has been properly vetted is absolutely vital to maintaining a safe school environment. Lee County’s new background check process improves that protection. However, the added cost for fingerprinting could unintentionally limit the number of people who are able to volunteer. My fear is that teams like JV baseball who have relied on parent transportation in years past will not have the support necessary to get 12-15 athletes to their 4:00pm games. Our current busing structure does not allow for buses to pick up teams before 5pm so you can see how relying on parent help is imperative. Our schools thrive because of those caring parents and community members who give their time. But if those parents are required to pay out of pocket for the fingerprinting, they may be less inclined to help out, putting JV sports in particular – but many other clubs – in a very difficult situation.”
There are a lot of mixed feelings surrounding this new bill, and as the school year progresses the effects of it may start to take greater shape. Especially as current volunteers realize they don’t have the nearly 100 dollars to throw at something that they are already giving their valuable time.
