Coach Background Checks, Peters Township Council Authorizes Fine Against Teams Failing to Comply

Groups using the Peters Township Parks and Recreation athletic fields will soon be facing a fine of $500 if they fail to comply with a township ordinance passed in 2006, which requires them to prove that their coaches have all passed criminal and child abuse background checks.

Township council has given the parks and recreation board the power to impose the fines if sports associations do not produce documentation that their coaches have received Pennsylvania State Police background checks.

The board has been unable to obtain the proper clearances from some organizations despite repeated requests to produce them.

“The difficulty hasn’t been with getting people to get their clearances, but it’s been difficult to achieve 100 percent compliance with the policy,” said Michelle Harmel, director of Parks and Recreation. “The board has made a large effort to get these clearances and they’ve made progress, but they thought it was necessary to take the next step.”

Harmel said nine different sports organizations play at parks department facilities, and most are not 100 percent compliant with the policy.

She said organizations say they have had difficulty getting coaches to take the time to have background checks performed.

“They tell us that their coaches are volunteers and it’s hard to get them to do the background checks," she said. "Short of saying it’s inconvenient for them, it’s what we are being told."

Harmel said the parks and recreation department has tried to assist the organizations in the process by offering them an avenue to have the checks performed.

“We’ve given them a way to certify the coaches on a temporary basis while they go through the process,” she said. “They can do the criminal background checks online through the Pennsylvania State Police website, and you can get a response almost immediately. When you get the temporary clearance, the coaches and organizations can work on the next clearances.”

Harmel said each organization has its own bylaws regarding the proper clearances for their coaches, but some don’t have such requirements.

“Some of the groups, such as the soccer organization, belong to PA West, which require background checks for all coaches in their member teams, but others do not.”

Now armed with a fine against organizations who fail to comply with providing the township proof that their coaches have had background checks, Harmel said her department is now working on the logistics of getting the information out to the various organizations using the township parks.

She said it is hoped that the township can officially begin enforcing the policy and imposing the fines by the fall season.

“We’ve tried to make accommodations for various scenarios over the past four years,” she said. “Is it better than it was? Yes. But we’re not looking for better—we’re looking for 100 percent compliance.”

Township council said fines collected from the organizations would be placed into the parks and recreation program.