Those who work in Chicago Public Schools will undergo background checks this summer prior to the coming academic term.
According to a Chicago Tribune report, teachers, coaches, volunteers, vendors and other workers who regularly work inside of CPS buildings will have their records re-examined as the district tries to shore up its employment process.
If those school-based workers do not go through a background check by the fall, CPS said they will not be permitted to enter schools.
Approximately 45,000 employees will undergo the new checks, the report said. That figure includes part-time workers such as substitute teachers.
According to the report, about 70 percent of those employees already have their fingerprints on file with the district but haven’t gone through more extensive background checks implemented by CPS in recent years. Roughly 13,000 employees do not currently have their fingerprints on file, it said.
In addition, an estimated 10,000 vendors and volunteers will need to be fingerprinted over the summer.
The district said the estimated cost for the renewed background checks could be as high as $2 million.
