Res. No. 1656 Title Resolution urging the Board of Education to require background checks on all New York City Board of Education employees, including but not limited to, school maintenance personnel and other support staff. Body By Council Members Koslowitz, Carrion, Lopez, Moskowitz, Nelson, Abel, Golden and Oddo; also Council Members Eisland, Foster, Rodriguez, Watkins, White and Ognibene Whereas, The safety of New York City's school children is of utmost importance; and Whereas, Harm to New York City school children may be prevented through criminal background checks of persons working on school premises during school hours; and Whereas, School maintenance personnel work on school grounds during school hours and may have contact with students; and Whereas, In a report issued by the Special Commissioner of Investigations for the New York City School District, some incidents were describe as examples of how background checks would provide important and critical information when individuals who will be working near students are hired; and Whereas, In one case, a custodian who was found to have been convicted of two violent felonies was not fingerprinted before working as a custodian at the Ida B. Wells school, a facility located in Queens designed exclusively for pregnant girls; and Whereas, In another case sited in the report a van driver was found to have a criminal history of arrests that ranged from Grand Larceny to Rape in the First Degree; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York urges the Board of Education to require background checks on all New York City Board of Education employees, including but not limited to, school maintenance personnel and other support staff. LS#3671 BM:ts 11/17/00