Chester County board approves minor change to retention policy, keeps substitutes and volunteers off RapBack program

The Chester County Board of Education on Monday approved two changes to the district policy manual: an addition to promotion and retention rules and a procedural decision on criminal-background monitoring.

Superintendent Mr. Gilger told the board the only substantive addition to Board Policy 4.603 is a requirement that “if a child is ineligible to be able to be retained, then the school district is responsible now to put that response to the ineligibility to the parents in writing.” The board voted to adopt the revised 4.603, by voice vote.

On background checks, the board approved replacing Policy 5.118 to continue enrolling full‑time professional staff in the FBI RapBack program but not to include substitutes, contractors or volunteers in that automated RapBack enrollment. Gilger said the district preferred not to include substitutes and other nonpermanent personnel because their assignments change year to year and the district would have to manage many short‑term entries and exits if they were added. He said third‑party vendors and some university partners arrange their own checks through their organizations.

Board members asked how bus drivers are handled; Gilger said drivers are screened through a transportation vendor, named in the meeting as Echo Run. The board approved both policy replacements together after a motion and second and a voice vote of “aye.”

The policy file numbers discussed at the meeting were Board Policy 4.603 (promotion and retention) and Board Policy 5.118 (background investigations). The board packet shown during the meeting contained the draft replacement texts for both policies.

The actions taken were procedural policy adoptions; no additional implementation schedule or funding detail was given at the meeting.