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Mendon board debates background-check policy for youth center, library and town positions
Summary
Board members reviewed whether background checks should apply townwide or only to positions working with children, discussed fingerprinting and registry checks, and asked staff to draft policy language and cost estimates for review.
The board reviewed proposed handbook language on background checks and whether the town should require fingerprinting and registry checks for all hires or only for positions with direct contact with children. A board member asked, "Why would [background check] be removed?" and the Chair noted the handbook draft had omitted some policies previously in the town manual.
Participants focused on the youth center, library, and highway positions. The Benefits coordinator (speaker 1) emphasized the need for a tiered approach: "You can have, like, high, medium, low risk positions and have different levels of background checks" so that roles working with children receive full checks while seasonal/low-risk positions receive lighter screening. The board discussed cost—an estimate of about $104 per person for a full background check was mentioned—and tasked staff to compare existing policies, draft a background-check policy, and bring it back for legal review and adoption.
The board also discussed how background-check findings should affect hiring decisions and noted that state law limits some hiring exclusions based on certain convictions. Members asked the town attorney and HR liaison to clarify which convictions should disqualify candidates for specific positions and to prepare recommended wording for the handbook.
