As we start another school year, the safety of our children should be the number one priority of all Louisianans.
As a father of four, I worry about the dangers that our children are susceptible to. That is why I have been working in the U.S. Senate to strengthen school safety screenings to prevent child predators and dangerous individuals from working in our children’s schools.
Recently, I authored a bill that will help school officials effectively identify child predators or dangerous felons during the employee application process. My Safety for our Schoolchildren Act, 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.
It would also prevent applicants with a felony or violent crime conviction from being hired by a public school or a school district that receives federal funding. If a background check identifies a child predator seeking employment with a public school or a school district, my bill requires that the individual be reported to local law enforcement.
My legislation would also prevent individuals with DWI or DUI convictions, or other serious traffic offenses, from being employed as bus drivers or in other roles that involve the transportation of children.
We cannot allow potentially dangerous individuals to be employed in a capacity that offers them daily contact with children. The Safety for our Schoolchildren Act provides our schools with a firewall that will provide parents and children with an enhanced level of security and peace of mind.
Please let me know about any issues of importance to you and your family by contacting me at any of my state offices or in my Washington office by mail at U.S. Senator David Vitter, U.S. Senate, 516 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20510, or by phone at 202-224-4623. You can also reach me on the web at http://vitter.senate.gov.
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