Background Checks - Hurry Up

DECEMBER 8, 2005 -- After pre-schools and daycares hire teachers, they have to pass a background check if they're going to stay on the job. The process is supposed to be quick so that teachers with trouble in their past can be fired before they do any more damage. But the state agency handling the background checks is badly backlogged. The result is long delays.

Sarah Flaherty is the director at Chesterbrook Academy. She says it's the fault of the North Carolina Division of Child Development.

"I think they are understaffed, overworked," says Flaherty.

The manager of the criminal record division told WECT the checks should come back within two weeks. We contacted several child care centers in Wilmington and across the state. They all say the checks take at least a month or two to come back.

That's leading some day cares to hire private investigators to perform their background checks. The information can come back as quickly as 24 hours later. But officials' best advice if you have a concern is talk directly to the day care director.

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