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Council accepts report on DCF background-check ordinance; members urge further review
Summary
The City Council accepted an Ordinance & Rules Committee report on a proposed ordinance requiring Department of Children and Families (DCF) central-registry checks for new city hires who have contact with minors, but councilors raised privacy, due-process and disparate-impact concerns and called for more work before adoption.
The Pittsfield City Council on March 20 accepted a committee report on a proposed ordinance requiring Department of Children and Families (DCF) background checks for city hires who will have contact with minors, but several councilors urged additional study of implementation and equity effects.
Councilor Warren presented the committee report and moved to ordain the measure; the council first accepted the committee report unanimously. Debate followed, with Councilor Noto saying the ordinance as drafted could constitute an “extreme overreach of privacy” and might have a disparate impact on low-income applicants, survivors of domestic violence and communities of…
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