Superintendent proposes required three‑year volunteer background checks with $21 fee; board schedules second reading

The Lebanon Community School Corporation’s superintendent presented a policy change on Jan. 21 that would require all volunteers to undergo the same full background check used for employees, including a child-abuse/neglect-index check, beginning July 1, 2025.

Doctor Milliman told trustees the change would move volunteers from a limited background check to the employee-level check to address incomplete or inconclusive results in current volunteer screening. “This policy…moves us into a full background check that would be required for all volunteers,” Milliman said, describing how inconclusive hits currently can push records into state police databases and lengthen the process.

The superintendent said the district’s vendor would allow a three‑year clearance window so volunteers would pay the fee approximately once every three years. The out‑of‑pocket cost cited in the presentation was about $21 per check; Doctor Milliman described that as an up‑front expense that equates to roughly $7 per year when spread over three years. When a board member asked, “How much does our current annual background check cost?” a staff member answered, “0.”

Milliman described an automatic-approval workflow for clear checks, a pending workflow that routes flagged reports to district staff, and an appeals process that would convene a three‑person committee to review denials and allow applicants to submit documentation. She said the first reading was for board discussion and that the board would consider a second reading in February, at which point the administration could begin notifying parents and volunteers.

No vote was taken; the board carried the item forward for a second reading. Milliman and board members indicated they will provide more detail at the February meeting and begin outreach to families if the board adopts the policy.