TBI adds warrant search to teacher backgrounds

NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation will check all applicants for jobs at schools for outstanding warrants following the arrest of a Nashville teacher who was wanted in a sex crime case involving children.

The revised policy was put into place after the Tennessean reported that Ronald Boykin Jr. passed three background checks because the checks do not include a search for warrants.

TBI previously looked at arrests, convictions, the state sex offender registry and statewide restraining orders in doing background checks. Kristin Helm, a spokeswoman for the agency, said this week they can’t allow this situation to happen again.

“One teacher like that is one too many,” she said.

The policy change will affect about 20,000 applicants annually. Since 2000, state law has required background checks for anyone working with children, according to the Tennessee Department of Education. Before that many schools mandated it locally.

Boykin was arrested on March 22 after police pulled him over for disobeying a traffic sign. During a search of his name, officers discovered 2006 warrants issued for his arrest on two counts of rape, one count of sexual battery by an authority figure and one count of attempted sexual battery by an authority figure.

The subsequent investigation by Metro Nashville schools uncovered more potential victims in Nashville, and Boykin is also charged with abusing two former students there.

The TBI said it will report to a school district if a warrant is found, but the policy change could have bigger implications for applicants who want to work in Tennessee schools.

Professional teacher organizations like the Tennessee Education Association say a warrant is not an admission of guilt and applicants could be judged unfairly for minor issues like unpaid traffic tickets.

“TBI’s decision to check for and reveal any warrants when they do background checks for prospective school employees and teachers does, indeed, raise privacy concerns,” said Carol K. Schmoock, assistant executive director for the TEA.

Schmoock said the schools should also be responsible on their own for checking resumes and job applications.

“A school district should not count on the TBI to do for it what it fails to do on its own when provided information on a job application,” Schmoock said.

In his 2007 application to teach in Metro Schools, Boykin wrote that he “resigned during a suspension without pay for misconduct” from a Chattanooga high school. Three Nashville schools employees were asked to resign for approving his application.

Background checks vary from state to state. Georgia, Mississippi and Kentucky check for warrants, while Alabama and South Carolina do not.