USA Badminton, the recognized national governing body for the sport of badminton in the U.S., has instituted a new background screening program. Beginning in October 2006, the association began mandating background checks for all those who need Coaching Certification. Each coach will incur the cost of $20 for the background check.

USA Badminton has taken this huge step to ensure the highest level of safety within the program as well as for all of its participants, including children and staff. This non-profit organization prepares the best players in America for the Olympic Games and by instituting a standardized approach to background screening it guarantees safety for all those involved.

The Department of Education in Hawaii hopes to expand its current policy requiring criminal background checks of employees to also encompass student teachers, subcontractors and service providers for the public schools. This proposed legislation is currently being prepared for the upcoming legislative session that opens tomorrow.

The proposal was prompted in part by a reveling audit performed in September of 2006, which exposed the laxity of a local high school’s background screening policy. Kailua High School had hired a convicted murderer for a coaching position for the 2005-06 school year. His background was not checked until the audit was performed, three months after his hiring date.

Currently Hawaii State law does allow the DOE to perform criminal background checks on student teachers or subcontractors, which, according to the DOE “raises concerns regarding the health, safety and well-being of children”. Furthermore, The DOE feels that the new legislation will “filter out potentially unsuitable providers, subcontractors and Institute of Higher Education trainees.”

As Donald Young, interim dean for the College of Education at the University of Hawaii-Manoa, states, “It’s hard to argue it’s an invasion of privacy when you’re talking about things that have occurred in schools across the country…This is certainly making kids safer.”

In recent news, the Little League International Board of Directors has voted to require checks of the National Sex Offender Public Registry for managers, coaches and other volunteers who have interaction with the players. Previously, back in 2003, the organization initially required the check to be completed on a state level.

The National Sex Offender Public Registry is a cooperative effort between the federal government and the states, which host the public sex offender registries. Coordinated by the U.S. Department of Justice, the registry, which first became available in 2005, now includes all states.

With more than 2.6 million players and one million adult volunteers, Little League is the largest organized youth sports program in the world. It has laid the groundwork for other youth sports organizations and hopes to encourage them to take this important step in protecting children.