[Ponte Alto] Announcement from the Board-Background check policy

[Katharine Devereaux]

FYI - The board is still accepting comments. Please send any comments to 
comments at sca.org.


> In a continuing effort to share information with the SCA's participants
> about the upcoming background check policy, we would like to answer some
> of the questions about the policy we have received thus far. Please bear
> in mind that we have not established any policy to this point, and we
> are still accepting all input into the policy development. Our answers
> here reflect our understanding of the policy development as we have
> researched to date. This policy is still in the developmental stages.
>
> . Q: Should we use the "2 adults not related by blood or
> marriage/relationship at all official youth activities" rule (aka: the
> 'two-deep' rule)? A: Yes. The two-deep rule is already listed in our
> rules. (This is located in the Seneschals Handbook, page 9 and appendix
> A)
>
> . Q: Why are we doing this? A: Part of the Board's job is to see that
> effective policies and procedures for the SCA are in place. In that
> regard, the Board periodically reviews policies and procedures to ensure
> that they remain consistent with the SCA's goals and values. After a
> review of an East Kingdom law which required the Kingdom to review all
> applicants for a position of youth officer and check to see if the
> applicants were on a Megan's List, the Board concluded that an
> organization-wide system of background checks for all youth officers
> (martial and non-martial) would provide even more protection to the SCA,
> Inc. and its youth members. For that reason, the Board has decided to
> move forward with the new background check policy.
>
> . Q: What are the specific numbers of minor related cases? A: Of the 29
> R&D cases involving predatory criminal convictions, 6 involved warranted
> youth officials.
>
> . Q: Who will perform the background checks? A: The background checks
> will be done by a third party. The SCA is still in the process of
> selecting the background check vendor. The SCA will not have access to
> specific background details, as indicated previously. We will simply
> receive a pass or fail notice.
>
> . Q: How can I resolve a false positive? A: You will have to follow the
> resolution/error checking policy of the background check vendor.
>
> . Q: What exactly will the background check be for? A: The background
> check will only be checking for crimes against minors, not for traffic
> tickets or prior arrests UNLESS of a sexual nature against minors.
>
> . Q: What indication will I receive that I passed? A: The applicant will
> receive a report from the background check vendor. As mentioned
> previously, the pass status will be good for 2 years.
>
> . Q: Is this a United States of America (USA)-only policy? Will this be
> instituted in other countries outside of the USA? A: At this time, this
> policy will only be instituted in North America (this includes Canada).
> Currently, we are unable to implement this policy outside of North
> America. This is due to overwhelming financial charges that we felt were
> irresponsible to pass onto our membership. It is to be noted that we are
> continuing to research ways of implementing this for our international
> members in a fiscally responsible manner. Also, while we are planning to
> initially use a USA based background check vendor, we are looking into
> vendors who are authorized to conduct checks throughout North America.
>
> . Q: This is a done deal - Why are you informing us of this after the
> fact? A: It is important to note that this policy is not yet in force.
> We continue to revise and update the policy based on the input we are
> receiving from the SCA's members. Once we have finished developing the
> policy, it will be released to the populace of the SCA for comment
> before it is implemented.
>
> We have also included the original questions and the answer statement
> that was released to the SCA's members, in an effort to consolidate all
> of the questions and answers about the upcoming background check policy
> in one place. They follow below.
>
> . Q: Are Kingdoms required to implement the Society policy? A: Once
> upheld by the Board of Directors, the Kingdoms will have a time-line to
> implement the policy-or cease youth programs as a part of their activity
> offering.
>
> . Q: I had a background check for work. Can you just use that? A: No.
> All checks for this program will be done according to the same criteria
> and by the same vendor for all participants. The vendor is a licensed,
> bonded provider of background examinations.
>
> . Q: Will the SCA be privy to specific details of my background, whether
> I pass the exam or not? A: No. The SCA will receive a pass or a fail
> notice.
>
> . Q: Will my personal information be exposed to other SCA participants?
> A: Information provided to the vendor in order to perform the check is
> not provided to the SCA.
>
> . Q: How long is my pass status good for? A: It is planned that the pass
> status will be good for two years.
>
> . Q: Will all existing officers have to be checked? A: All
> officers/volunteers with supervisory positions, teaching, or direct
> control of minor participants, new or existing would require the
> clearance.
>
> Again, we would like to thank you for your concern regarding the
> upcoming policy. It is shared among many in the society. We are
> committed to seeking the opinions of our membership and taking proper
> action to insure that this is a fair process for everyone.
>
> We encourage you to continue sending your comments on the upcoming
> policy to comments at sca.org.
>
> In service,
>
> Aaron L. Lloyd - Director, SCA Inc.
> Ombudsman, Background Check Policy
>
> (Baron Aaron Palomides of Buckminster, KSCA, OP)
>
> Hal Simon - Chairman, SCA Inc.
>
> (Baron Edwin FitzLloyd, OP, OL)
> --
> Patrick Anderson
> President
> Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc.
> president at sca.org
> 952-412-4112
>
>
> Comments are strongly encouraged and can be sent to:
> SCA Inc.
> Box 360789
> Milpitas,  CA 95036
>
> You may also email comments at lists.sca.org
> or reply to this message.
>
> This announcement is an official informational release by the Society for 
> Creative Anachronism , Inc.  Permission is granted to reproduce this 
> announcement in its entirety in newsletters, websites and electronic 
> mailing lists.
>
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