My son suffered greatly when horrible lies were spread about him by an adult woman. Despite being informed by her own child that these accusations were baseless, she continued to slander my son, who was only 10 years old at the time. Eventually, a court of law found her guilty of defamation against a minor, and my son was awarded damages. However, because she was charged civilly rather than criminally, she may continue to volunteer in schools without any repercussions.

This case highlights a critical flaw in the current background check system for school volunteers and active PTO/PTA members. It primarily focuses on criminal convictions and overlooks civil charges, even if they involve acts against children. Given that children are among the most vulnerable members of our society, allowing individuals who have been legally found responsible for harming them—whether emotionally or physically—to maintain unsupervised access to other children within school settings is unacceptable. It is unlawful for an adult who physically injury’s a child to be on school committees, work book fairs and serve in the classroom settings. An adult found guilty of verbally injuring a child in a court of law should be ineligible to serve in these roles as well. 

Background checks for school volunteers, PTO organizations, etc.  need to be expanded to include civil offenses related to acts against children. Verifiable data suggests that civil defamation suits often reveal damaging behavior that might not rise to the level of a criminal act but are nonetheless harmful. According to data from child advocacy organizations, many states have seen a rise in defamation cases against children, shedding light on a pressing need for legislative reform.

Legislators and school boards need to revise guidelines to ensure that any civil ruling for harmful acts against a child should be treated with the seriousness it deserves. This can be achieved by mandating comprehensive background checks that incorporate checks for civil offenses, ensuring that anyone with a history of harming children, either verbally or physically, is barred from volunteering in schools.

Join me in urging lawmakers and educational institutions to fortify these protective measures. Our children deserve safe environments to learn and grow, free from any risk of emotional or physical harm from adults who have proven to jeopardize their wellbeing. Let's stand together to protect them by signing this petition.