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A policy in Carmel Clay Schools will force parents and grandparents to pay for a background check to even eat lunch with their child.
Some say the measure is too extreme. Others say it’s an appropriate move to make kids safer.
Effective immediately, all volunteers, and even those who just want to eat lunch with their child in a Carmel school, must pay for their own background check. It costs $13.95 and is good for three years.
“Ultimately, it’s for the good,” said Lindsay Pearce, who is a parent of two.
“I’m good with that,” adds Cindy McKinney, who has several grandchildren in Carmel schools. “I think that’s a minimal cost to someone to ensure the safety of our children.”
The old policy had stated a background check for volunteers was needed only every five years and it wasn’t necessary for lunchtime guests. But not everyone thinks the new policy is the best way to go about school safety.
“It sounds extreme to me,” said Mike Weiner.
Weiner is married to a teacher in another district and father to a pair of recent Carmel grads.
“I don’t feel like I should really have to pay to walk in school to see my own children, especially in a public school,” he said.
Lora Shanahan said, “It’s too harsh. I can see it for volunteers who work in the classroom, but no parent should have to do this just to eat lunch with their kid.”
Even those like Pearce, who support the idea, worry that grandparents or relatives who live far away may not understand or be frustrated, especially by the cost.
Other school districts handle this in a wide variety of ways, like Hamilton Southeastern, which has a policy similar to the one in Carmel. In Noblesville parents can come to supervised events like lunch or a classroom party without a background check, but for events like field trips where parents might be overseeing students without supervision from school staff, a background check is required at the parent’s cost.