[SCA-AE] ANNOUNCE: Background checks for youth.

[m.allen]

The only things listed on criminal clearances (33 & 34) are
_convictions_ = you stood in front of a judge, were found guilty
and sentenced. DUIs are sometimes handled by magistrates...

The list that Fridrikr has referred to, may be another safety
measure enforced by the Department of Education in NY state. Not
all states have such a safety measure.

I hope that we do not frighten people with information that is
not exactly .... germane.
The best way to avoid false accusations is to follow Kingdom
policy. In 2001 I wrote a policy stating that no one would ever
be alone with a child during youth activities, if no other adult
was available then the activity would be canceled. 
This policy protects our children, it protects adults from false
accusations and it protects our integrity as a group.

This clearances measure should only frighten predators. Everyone
I ever met who conducted kids activities was a good willed
person who enjoyed children. Please do not be frightened that
somehow your reputation will be damaged unfairly. That is an
incredibly rare occurrence, typically a mistake in paperwork or
a common name issue. Ex: My mundane name is now Martha Allen,
there are 140 Martha Allens in the USA. However, I have never
experienced mistaken identity with clearances, they also request
your social security number. 
If innocent you will be given a clean set of clearances which
you can happily wag in anyone's face who says otherwise.
Furthermore, there are mundane laws which protect the innocent-
if Joe Black says Antoinette is a predator (and I am not a
predator) I can follow a legal course of action which puts Joe
Black in a position of _proving_ what he said. If he cannot
prove it, I can sue him for defamation/blackening my character,
especially if my livelihood depends on clean clearances. 
Frankly, this scene is not going to get that far off the tracks
folks, it's just 2 forms to fill out, everyone breathes a sigh
of relief and it's over.


Antoinette,
a former AE Kingdom Kid's Officer


"Be the change you want to see in the world."
-Gandhi


       
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