Audit committee: MCPS makes major progress on background checks but IG keeps recommendations open

Summary

At a 90-day follow-up, Montgomery County Public Schools told the council it has cleared the DHHS paper backlog, rescreened more than half of school-based staff and published new background-screening regulations; the Inspector General kept all recommendations 'open — in progress' pending finalized procedures and implementation.

Montgomery County Council's Audit Committee heard a 90-day update on background‑screening work at Montgomery County Public Schools on a report from the Office of the Inspector General.

Inspector General Ms. LaMarzia told the committee the IG is keeping all recommendations "open in progress" while it verifies the district's corrective steps and the implementation details that remain outstanding. She reviewed five findings that prompted the original audit: continuous criminal history monitoring (RAPBACK), a paper backlog of Child Protective Services (CPS) clearances, lack of a formal suitability determination procedure for non‑disqualifying offenses, inconsistent removal of separated employees from RAPBACK, and incomplete volunteer CAN (child abuse and neglect) training coverage.

MCPS officials described a large, school‑by‑school effort to rescreen employees and report progress. MCPS said 14,000 employees required some form of rescreening; its November 7 snapshot showed "just over 6,400" individuals…

Audit committee: MCPS makes major progress on background checks but IG keeps recommendations open

Summary

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