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Committee approves Rap Back changes for employees; contractors and volunteers excluded for now
Summary
The policy committee approved changes to Policy 5.118 to enroll employees in the FBI Rap Back program with the district covering associated costs; enrollment of contractors and volunteers was removed pending later review.
The Rutherford County School Board policy committee approved revisions to Policy 5.118 to enroll employees in the FBI Rap Back program and to require continuous background reporting, but removed contractors and volunteers from automatic enrollment for now.
Staff explained the Rap Back program to the committee as an FBI system that provides continuous updates on individuals' criminal records after an initial background check. "It gives us continuous updates on backgrounds, people's criminal backgrounds," a staff presenter said, describing how a one‑time snapshot is replaced by ongoing notification when an enrolled person's record changes.
Staff reported the per‑person cost for Rap Back enrollment is $50 and fingerprinting is $37, a combined $87 per person. The presenter said that after the program went into effect in December, the district incurred unexpected costs that increased the budget by more than $85,000 for that initial period.
The committee debated whether to include contractors and volunteers in Rap Back. Many members said volunteers and contractors already undergo the district's Raptor visitor screening and standard fingerprint/background checks and that extending Rap Back immediately would be costly. The committee voted to remove contractors and volunteers from the Rap Back enrollment language and to retain routine background checks (including Raptor) for those groups.
On the board payment for costs, members agreed to change wording so the district pays for the costs associated with Rap Back and fingerprinting for employees rather than reimbursing applicants. "We just give them a code so that their background check, they don't have to pay out of pocket," a staff member explained of the existing employee process.
The committee's final motion (moved by Miss Darby and seconded by Miss Sharp) approved Policy 5.118 as amended: remove contractors and volunteers from lines that would enroll them in Rap Back, specify that any costs incurred to perform Rap Back background checks and fingerprinting for employees shall be paid by the board, and strike the remaining lines that would have required reimbursement language. The committee voted in favor and the motion carried.
