(Washington, D.C.) – U.S. Sen. David Vitter today introduced the Safety for our Schoolchildren Act, which would require all public school employees, and those employed in any connection to a public school, to go through an FBI background check prior to being hired.

         “The safety of our children should be the number one priority of all Americans,” said Vitter.  “This bill will help school officials effectively identify sexual predators or dangerous felons during the application process.”

         Vitter’s bill requires that FBI background checks be conducted on prospective employees and that the results of the checks be reviewed by the hiring administrator before any offer of employment can be made.  The bill also provides that no applicant with a felony or violent crime conviction can be hired by a public school or a school district that receives federal funding.  In the event that the background check identifies a sexual predator seeking employment with a public school or a school district, the bill requires that the individual be reported to local law enforcement.  Further, the bill bars individuals with DWI or DUI convictions, or other serious traffic offenses, from being employed as bus drivers or in other roles that involves the transportation of children.

         “We cannot allow potentially dangerous individuals to be employed in a capacity that offers them daily contact with children,” Vitter said.  “My bill will provide our schools with a firewall that will provide parents and children with an enhanced level of security.”

         The bill would withhold federal funds from schools and school districts who do not fully comply with the act within six or 12 months of its implementation, with half of the identified funding being withheld if the local education authorities are in non-compliance at six months following the bill’s enactment, and full funding being withheld at 12 months.