In recent news, coaches’ criminal records have gone unnoticed by their employers. In one example, an audit report of a Kailua High School in Honolulu, Hawaii, found that one its head coaches, three months already into the job, had a murder conviction on his record. This case and others like it should demonstrate the importance of background checks for coaches for school programs, parks and recreation departments and/or clubs. Coach background screening is imperative to ensure the safety of children under their direction. As cost is always an issue, many county and city departments hesitate to require that the backgrounds of coaches be checked. However, they are beginning to realize the necessity of running such checks, as increasingly more cases regarding criminal records of coaches fall through the cracks. Parents are especially wondering why felons would be allowed to coach and interact with their children and questioning how many other backgrounds of coaches go unchecked.

Government and private entities are slowly taking initiative to check coaches’ criminal records. Counties such as, Hillsborough County in Florida, are considering policies that would require background checks of more than 5,000 coaches be completed before they are allowed on the field. In addition, coach background screening alone could deter people with criminal records from even applying for coaching jobs. Backgrounds of coaches, specifically criminal records of coaches, should no longer go unnoticed.

As needs to be the case, people are increasingly realizing that background checks for coaches should be held in the same manner as pre-employment background screening. However, coaches’ criminal records still go unchecked by many organizations. Luckily, many resources are now available which make it quite easy as well as affordable for anyone, including concerned parents, to check the backgrounds of coaches online. Parents and concerned citizens are turning to the internet and using companies such as Public Background Checks to ensure the safety of all players and participants in youth sports.